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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rest — a break
  5. cue — for pool
  6. file — a tool
  7. staff — employees
  8. file — a document
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mug — a face
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rule — government
  14. mug — to rob
  15. cue — a hint
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bat — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. mug — a cup
  21. cue — a signal
  22. rule — a law
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. cell — in biology

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