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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.

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: roll · jam · arm · rock · stand · file · row · game

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. file — a tool
  2. rock — music
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rock — a stone
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. row — a line
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. game — a match
  15. stand — to bear
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. roll — a cake
  19. row — to paddle
  20. roll — a list
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. game — a kind of play
  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