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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bass — low music
  3. present — the time now
  4. saw — the tool
  5. root — of a word
  6. file — a line of people
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. march — the month
  9. file — a tool
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. saw — the tool
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. march — music
  14. present — a gift
  15. root — the cause
  16. file — a document
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. root — of a plant
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. present — there
  22. march — the month
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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