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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. roll — a cake
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. snap — to click
  6. file — a line of people
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. chip — to eat
  13. file — a document
  14. foot — a measure
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. roll — a list
  17. cell — a phone
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. cell — in biology
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. sharp — clever

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