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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. saw — the tool
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. spring — a coil
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. vault — a safe
  14. spring — of water
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bat — the animal
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. saw — the tool
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. spring — the season
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bat — in an idiom

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