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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. file — a line of people
  3. vault — a safe
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mark — a grade
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. chest — a box
  9. file — a tool
  10. hand — help
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. chest — of your body
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. hand — in cards
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. file — a document
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mark — a trace
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rush — hurry
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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