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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. saw — the tool
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. scale — in music
  8. deal — to handle
  9. rock — a stone
  10. cue — a hint
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cue — for pool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. file — a line of people
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. saw — the tool
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cue — a signal

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