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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. track — a song
  4. file — a tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rock — a stone
  8. file — a line of people
  9. drill — a practice
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. root — of a word
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. track — a path
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. craft — boats
  19. root — the cause
  20. rock — music
  21. drill — the tool
  22. craft — a skill
  23. track — to keep track
  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