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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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468
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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. kid — to tease
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pit — in a race
  9. file — a line of people
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. row — a line
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. file — a document
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. file — a tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. kid — child
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. arm — part of the body

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