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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 120 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. suit — in cards
  3. cell — a phone
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. spell — magic
  7. lean — to bend
  8. spell — letters
  9. pop — music
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pop — soda
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bound — tied together
  15. lean — thin
  16. suit — clothes
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pop — to visit
  19. suit — to fit
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bound — certain
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bound — obliged
  24. file — a document

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