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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cell — a phone
  3. perch — the fish
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. file — a tool
  10. charge — in control
  11. kid — to tease
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. kid — child
  14. cell — in biology
  15. spring — the season
  16. file — a line of people
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. file — a document
  23. chip — for betting
  24. spring — of water

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