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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 120 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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. perch — the fish
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. hand — in cards
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rule — a law
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cell — in biology
  14. craft — a skill
  15. hand — help
  16. craft — boats
  17. file — a line of people
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. file — a document
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rule — government

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