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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. suit — in cards
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cue — a hint
  5. file — a document
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. suit — clothes
  8. file — a line of people
  9. spell — letters
  10. prune — to trim
  11. suit — to fit
  12. cap — of ice
  13. file — a tool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spell — magic
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. spell — a short time
  22. drill — army training
  23. arm — part of the body
  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