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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: file · arm · racket · mine · dip · chair

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chair — a leader
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. file — a line of people
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. dip — to sink
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. file — a tool

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