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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. stem — to come from
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. content — the amount
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. scale — size or range
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. file — a line of people
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. content — happy
  22. plane — a tool
  23. file — a tool
  24. racket — for tennis

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