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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pit — in a race
  7. can — to be able to
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. file — a document
  10. press — a publisher
  11. file — a tool
  12. cell — in biology
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. can — a tin
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. can — a tin
  17. pit — a hole
  18. file — a line of people
  19. spell — magic
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. hand — help
  23. stem — to come from
  24. hand — in cards

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