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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · lash · file · mine · key · content · object · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mine — for digging
  6. file — a document
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. file — a tool
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. content — happy
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. content — the amount
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. object — a thing
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. file — a line of people
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. key — for a lock
  24. lash — to lash out

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