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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. mine — for digging
  5. season — in sport
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. season — of the year
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. file — a document
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pit — in a race
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a great time
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. hand — in cards
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pit — a hole
  23. file — a tool
  24. mine — belonging to me

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