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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. mark — a grade
  3. cell — in biology
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tear — from crying
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. chip — for betting
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cell — a phone
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. tear — from crying
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. file — a tool
  21. mark — a trace
  22. net — for catching
  23. cell — in a prison
  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