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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.

Make a worksheet

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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. march — the month
  7. mug — to rob
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. row — to paddle
  10. march — music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. present — there
  15. file — a tool
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mug — a face
  18. file — a document
  19. mug — a cup
  20. squash — to crush
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. file — a line of people
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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