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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. rule — a law
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pound — a weight
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cell — a phone
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. deal — to handle
  13. file — a document
  14. foot — a measure
  15. chip — for betting
  16. rest — what's left
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. file — a line of people
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. rule — government
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. rest — a break
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rest — what's left

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