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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. file — a tool
  3. scale — in music
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. file — a document
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. net — in sport
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. scale — size or range
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. file — a line of people
  19. chair — a leader
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. snap — to click

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