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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. tube — a container
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. suit — clothes
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. suit — to fit
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. file — a tool
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. present — a gift
  16. tube — the underground
  17. suit — in cards
  18. present — the time now
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. present — there
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cell — a phone
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. file — a line of people

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