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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rest — what's left
  8. row — a line
  9. file — a tool
  10. land — to come down
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. land — ground
  15. row — to paddle
  16. land — a country
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. foot — a measure
  22. rest — a break
  23. rash — a series
  24. saw — the tool

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