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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rest — what's left
  4. can — a tin
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wound — an injury
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mate — a friend
  10. can — a tin
  11. rule — a law
  12. file — a tool
  13. rest — a break
  14. can — to be able to
  15. cell — a phone
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rule — government
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — a permit
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mate — to breed

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