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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. file — a line of people
  3. spell — letters
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. spell — magic
  7. file — a tool
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — electric
  14. spell — a short time
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. track — to keep track
  18. file — a document
  19. track — a song
  20. current — of water
  21. band — a ring
  22. track — a path
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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