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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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 biology
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. staff — employees
  4. spell — letters
  5. file — a line of people
  6. foot — a measure
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. file — a tool
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. spell — a short time
  12. current — electric
  13. last — final
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. current — happening now
  16. staff — a stick
  17. spell — magic
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. last — to go on
  20. staff — employees
  21. last — finally
  22. current — of water
  23. file — a document
  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