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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. drill — the tool
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tube — the underground
  6. land — ground
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cell — in biology
  9. shower — to wash
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. land — a country
  12. shower — rain
  13. roll — a list
  14. drill — a practice
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. land — to come down
  17. drill — army training
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. roll — a cake
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. tube — a container
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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