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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: craft · spell · rash · key · file · chip · pitch · arm

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. key — the most important part
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. craft — boats
  6. spell — letters
  7. file — a document
  8. rash — a series
  9. craft — a skill
  10. chip — for betting
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. spell — magic
  13. chip — to eat
  14. spell — a short time
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a tool
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. arm — a part of something

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