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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. file — a document
  5. last — to go on
  6. staff — employees
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. drill — army training
  9. cell — in biology
  10. last — final
  11. row — a line
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. file — a line of people
  14. last — finally
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. drill — the tool
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. staff — employees
  19. file — a tool
  20. staff — a stick
  21. row — to paddle
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. drill — a practice
  24. snap — to click

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