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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: arm · game · hand · file · toast · fan

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. game — wild animals
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. game — a match
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. file — a tool
  12. toast — bread
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. file — a document
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. hand — in cards

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