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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. file — a tool
  5. root — of a word
  6. file — a document
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. root — of a plant
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. roll — a list
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. roll — a cake
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. foot — a measure
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. root — the cause
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fan — a supporter

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