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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. file — a tool
  3. rest — a break
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. court — of law
  6. cell — a phone
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rest — what's left
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. file — a document
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. deal — to handle
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pit — in a race
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pit — a hole
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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