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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 124 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a tool
  3. key — in music
  4. cell — a phone
  5. can — a tin
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. file — a line of people
  8. band — a music group
  9. can — a tin
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. band — a ring
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. can — to be able to
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. key — the most important part
  21. field — a subject
  22. key — for a lock
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — in a prison

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