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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. file — a tool
  3. march — music
  4. can — to be able to
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bound — obliged
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. drill — army training
  10. current — of water
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. current — happening now
  14. file — a document
  15. current — electric
  16. cell — in biology
  17. can — a tin
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. march — the month
  20. drill — a practice
  21. can — a tin
  22. drill — the tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. march — the month

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