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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. file — a tool
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. snap — to click
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hand — in cards
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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