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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. scale — size or range
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. file — a line of people
  10. tear — to rip
  11. file — a document
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. deal — to handle
  15. tear — from crying
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. tear — from crying
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. file — a tool
  24. scale — in music

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