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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: object · rush · file · spell · game · cell · rest · stick

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rush — hurry
  6. spell — letters
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. game — a match
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. object — a thing
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rest — what's left
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — to protest
  23. rest — a break
  24. cell — in biology

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