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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: fine · file · arm · last · cabinet · plane · jam · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. last — final
  6. fine — high quality
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. file — a tool
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. last — to go on
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fine — all right
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. file — a document
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. last — finally
  18. plane — a tool
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. file — a line of people
  24. arm — part of the body

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