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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: scale · rush · rest · file · mate · sharp · season · arm

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. season — in sport
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mate — a partner
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. file — a document
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rest — a break
  15. season — of the year
  16. mate — a friend
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mate — to breed
  23. file — a tool
  24. scale — in music

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