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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 124 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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. roll — a list
  3. file — a line of people
  4. land — ground
  5. file — a tool
  6. land — a country
  7. pop — soda
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. field — farmland
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. field — a subject
  15. land — to come down
  16. field — for sport
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — to visit
  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