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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mate — to breed
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a document
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. mate — a friend
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. rock — music
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mate — a partner
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. chair — a leader

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