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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: game · staff · file · rash · lean · saw · arm · mate

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mate — a partner
  7. staff — a stick
  8. file — a line of people
  9. lean — thin
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rash — a series
  12. mate — a friend
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. saw — the tool
  16. staff — employees
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. game — wild animals
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. file — a tool
  22. lean — to bend
  23. staff — employees
  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