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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. object — an aim
  3. suit — clothes
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. suit — in cards
  9. object — a thing
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. wound — an injury
  12. suit — to fit
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. pitch — completely
  16. file — a line of people
  17. object — to protest
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. file — a document
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. file — a tool
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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