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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. file — a document
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. land — ground
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — a phone
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. land — a country
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — steady
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cell — in biology
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. land — to come down
  18. file — a tool
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. field — farmland
  24. hide — to keep secret

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