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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: dip · rule · leaves · march · net · file · chest · cell

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. march — the month
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rule — a law
  5. chest — a box
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. net — after costs
  8. march — the month
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. file — a document
  11. net — in sport
  12. cell — a phone
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. net — for catching
  15. rule — government
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cell — in biology
  18. file — a tool
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. march — music
  22. dip — to sink
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — of a tree

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