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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 120 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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. last — finally
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. lean — to bend
  5. last — final
  6. file — a tool
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. file — a document
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. lean — thin
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. pound — a weight
  19. last — to go on
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. current — happening now
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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