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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. file — a document
  3. rush — hurry
  4. cell — in biology
  5. rule — a law
  6. game — wild animals
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. file — a tool
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fine — all right
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rule — government
  14. fine — high quality
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. sharp — exactly

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