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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 116 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fall — to drop
  4. file — a tool
  5. current — electric
  6. club — for dancing
  7. file — a line of people
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. face — to confront
  10. fall — the season
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fall — to drop
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. staff — employees
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. club — for golf
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cell — in biology
  20. current — happening now
  21. file — a document
  22. club — a group
  23. staff — employees
  24. current — of water

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