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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 120 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: craft · present · file · fan · hand · saw · game · arm

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. present — the time now
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. file — a tool
  5. hand — help
  6. game — wild animals
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. craft — a skill
  9. present — there
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. craft — boats
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. present — a gift
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. game — a match
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a document

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