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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. cell — in biology
  4. can — a tin
  5. spring — the season
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. key — for a lock
  10. file — a document
  11. shower — rain
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. spring — a coil
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. file — a tool
  18. spring — of water
  19. cell — a phone
  20. file — a line of people
  21. key — in music
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. shower — to wash
  24. key — the most important part

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