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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.

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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 · bay · snap · season · file · cue · wound · present

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. present — there
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — a gift
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. file — a tool
  14. season — in sport
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. cue — for pool
  17. snap — to click
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. season — of the year
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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