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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mine — for digging
  12. vault — a safe
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. scale — in music
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. deal — to handle
  24. file — a document

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