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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. cell — in biology
  10. file — a line of people
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. file — a document
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. hand — in cards
  16. spell — a short time
  17. hand — help
  18. spell — magic
  19. file — a tool
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. spell — letters
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wake — a trail

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com