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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 · file · track · mark · fan · ball · foot · chip

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mark — a trace
  3. ball — a great time
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. ball — a dance
  7. chip — to eat
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. file — a tool
  11. foot — a measure
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. file — a line of people
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. track — to keep track
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. chip — for betting
  21. file — a document
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. fan — a supporter

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