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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: mate · arm · mouse · chest · file · ball · fine · dip

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. file — a document
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mate — a friend
  7. chest — of your body
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mate — to breed
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. mate — a partner
  14. chest — a box
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. file — a tool
  19. ball — a great time
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to sink
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. file — a line of people
  24. arm — part of the body

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