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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. file — a line of people
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. file — a tool
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rule — a law
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rule — government
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cell — in biology
  15. present — the time now
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chest — a box
  21. file — a document
  22. chest — of your body
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. scale — size or range

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