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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rest — a break
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. swing — to play on
  6. rest — what's left
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. mate — a friend
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bear — the animal
  12. file — a line of people
  13. swing — music
  14. file — a document
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mate — a partner
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. file — a tool
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mate — to breed
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rest — what's left
  24. swing — in golf

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