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

Word bank: cell · wind · deal · rule · saw · board · key · file

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. saw — the tool
  5. file — a tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cell — a phone
  9. board — a committee
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wind — moving air
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. board — to get on
  15. rule — a law
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. key — the most important part
  18. wind — moving air
  19. file — a document
  20. key — in music
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. file — a line of people
  23. cell — in biology
  24. rule — government

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