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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. key — for a lock
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. file — a tool
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rush — hurry
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. file — a document
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. key — in music
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. key — the most important part
  22. game — a match
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a trace

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