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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. file — a line of people
  3. key — for a lock
  4. squash — to crush
  5. fall — the season
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. fall — to drop
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. lean — thin
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. file — a tool
  14. key — the most important part
  15. squash — the sport
  16. file — a document
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. key — in music
  19. rash — a series
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. rash — hasty
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. squash — the vegetable

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