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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bass — the fish
  4. file — a document
  5. cell — in biology
  6. deal — to handle
  7. kick — in football
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — a phone
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. season — of the year
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. stem — to come from
  18. file — a tool
  19. season — in sport
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bass — low music
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. ruler — a monarch

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