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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: mate · patient · wave · bay · arm · sharp · toast · file

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mate — a friend
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mate — a partner
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mate — to breed
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. file — a document
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. sharp — clever
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. file — a tool
  17. toast — bread
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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