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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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. file — a tool
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mark — a trace
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. spell — letters
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spell — a short time
  13. court — of a king
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. file — a line of people
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. file — a document
  19. spell — magic
  20. wound — an injury
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. arm — part of the body

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