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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. file — a line of people
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. file — a tool
  5. cap — a lid
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. file — a document
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. date — the fruit
  18. net — after costs

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