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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — a phone
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. track — a song
  8. file — a document
  9. cell — in biology
  10. tube — a container
  11. ball — a dance
  12. tube — the underground
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. clip — for paper
  15. root — of a plant
  16. file — a tool
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. file — a line of people
  19. root — of a word
  20. ball — a great time
  21. root — the cause
  22. clip — to cut
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. clip — a video

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