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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. file — a document
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. season — of the year
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. band — a music group
  10. file — a tool
  11. stand — to bear
  12. band — a ring
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. season — in sport
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. file — a line of people
  24. arm — a part of something

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