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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. file — a tool
  15. spring — of water
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spring — the season
  19. file — a document
  20. cell — in biology
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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