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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bound — certain
  3. file — a document
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. file — a tool
  8. shower — rain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. content — happy
  11. root — of a word
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. staff — employees
  14. cell — in biology
  15. file — a line of people
  16. staff — employees
  17. bound — tied together
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — the amount
  23. staff — a stick
  24. shower — to wash

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