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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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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: content · row · object · ruler · cell · file · jam · date

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. date — the fruit
  3. object — to protest
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. file — a line of people
  10. content — the amount
  11. cell — a phone
  12. content — happy
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. cell — in biology
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — an aim
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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