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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. degree — an amount
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. degree — from a university
  7. deal — to handle
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cue — a signal
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cell — a phone
  15. degree — temperature
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chip — to eat
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. cue — for pool
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. cue — a hint

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