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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bore · game · arm · cue · row · mine · file · jam

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. row — a line
  3. file — a line of people
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. mine — for digging
  8. file — a tool
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. cue — a signal
  14. file — a document
  15. game — a match
  16. row — to paddle
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. cue — for pool
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to drill
  24. cue — a hint

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