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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. chip — to eat
  3. cell — in biology
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — there
  6. object — to protest
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. object — an aim
  9. firm — steady
  10. file — a document
  11. chip — for betting
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. object — a thing
  15. present — a gift
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — decided
  18. rush — hurry
  19. scale — size or range
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. scale — in music

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