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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. date — the fruit
  6. file — a document
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cell — a phone
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mine — for digging
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. file — a line of people
  14. stock — shares
  15. lean — thin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lean — to bend
  18. stock — goods
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. cell — in biology
  21. file — a tool
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stock — a soup base

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