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

Word bank: rash · present · arm · file · wind · ruler · sharp · cell

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. rash — a series
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. file — a document
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. sharp — clever
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. present — the time now
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rash — hasty
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — there
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cell — in biology

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