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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 116 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cell — in biology
  3. file — a line of people
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. file — a tool
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lie — to recline
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. clip — a video
  18. land — a country
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. clip — to cut
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. cell — a phone

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