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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. lie — to recline
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. file — a document
  7. field — farmland
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cue — a signal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. ball — a dance
  14. field — for sport
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. field — a subject
  17. ball — a great time
  18. cue — a hint
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cell — in biology
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cell — a phone

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