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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. shower — rain
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. cell — a phone
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wax — to grow
  13. game — wild animals
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cell — in biology
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. lie — to recline
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. game — a match
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wax — for sculpting

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