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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. row — a line
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cell — a phone
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. ground — a position
  8. file — a line of people
  9. ground — crushed
  10. cell — in biology
  11. vault — a safe
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mark — a trace
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. saw — the tool
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. file — a document
  22. saw — the tool
  23. file — a tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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