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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 116 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. staff — employees
  3. track — a path
  4. cell — in biology
  5. staff — employees
  6. file — a document
  7. track — a song
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. hand — in cards
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. hand — help
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. staff — a stick
  18. track — to keep track

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