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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. dip — to sink
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. kick — in football
  6. board — to get on
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. cell — in biology
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. cell — a phone
  14. file — a document
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. board — a committee
  17. file — a line of people
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a song

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