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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. game — a match
  4. file — a tool
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. last — final
  8. wax — to grow
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. game — wild animals
  13. last — to go on
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cell — a phone
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. last — finally
  23. file — a document
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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