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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. file — a tool
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — a measure
  11. fine — high quality
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. fine — all right
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. date — the fruit
  18. mine — for digging
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. net — in sport
  24. file — a document

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