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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. file — a tool
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. file — a line of people
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. spell — a short time
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bat — the animal
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. pitch — completely
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. file — a document
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cap — a hat

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