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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. root — of a plant
  3. object — an aim
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. fine — all right
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. cell — in biology
  9. object — to protest
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. row — a line
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. file — a tool
  15. object — a thing
  16. fine — high quality
  17. cell — a phone
  18. root — the cause
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mark — a trace
  23. root — of a word
  24. file — a document

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