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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. file — a line of people
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — the time now
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. present — there
  7. wind — moving air
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. roll — a list
  11. cell — a phone
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. file — a tool
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. season — in sport
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. season — of the year
  21. file — a document
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cell — in biology
  24. roll — a cake

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