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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stand — to bear
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. saw — the tool
  15. file — a tool
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. bat — the animal
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. file — a document

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