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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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. bowl — a dish
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bank — for money
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bank — of a river
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bank — for money
  16. wound — an injury
  17. file — a tool
  18. wound — an injury
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. file — a document
  21. rash — a series
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. racket — for tennis

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