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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. can — a tin
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cell — in biology
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. file — a document
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cell — a phone
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. roll — a list
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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