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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — a trace
  6. club — for golf
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bulb — for light
  10. saw — the tool
  11. club — for dancing
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. club — a group
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bulb — for light
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. file — a document
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. ground — the earth
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. file — a tool

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