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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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. net — after costs
  4. scale — in music
  5. can — a tin
  6. swing — to play on
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. swing — in golf
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. file — a tool
  13. band — a ring
  14. swing — music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. band — a music group
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. net — in sport
  20. can — to be able to
  21. file — a document
  22. can — a tin
  23. season — of the year
  24. net — for catching

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