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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. squash — the sport
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. file — a document
  7. squash — to crush
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. spring — of water
  10. mate — a friend
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. cue — a hint
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mate — a partner
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cue — a signal
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cue — for pool
  21. spring — the season
  22. mate — to breed
  23. file — a line of people
  24. sharp — exactly

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