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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. file — a document
  4. can — a tin
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pass — a permit
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. file — a tool
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. file — a line of people
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. game — a match
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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