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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. file — a document
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. land — a country
  10. foot — a measure
  11. chair — a leader
  12. face — to point toward
  13. file — a tool
  14. face — part of the head
  15. land — ground
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. face — to confront
  18. file — a line of people
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. land — to come down
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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