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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. file — a document
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — for pool
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — to bear
  11. degree — from a university
  12. scale — size or range
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. file — a tool
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. file — a line of people
  17. degree — temperature
  18. scale — in music
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. cue — a signal
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. degree — an amount

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