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

Word bank: wound · chest · pit · spell · file · nail · cell · key

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. file — a tool
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chest — of your body
  7. file — a document
  8. key — in music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cell — in biology
  11. spell — magic
  12. chest — a box
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pit — a hole
  19. key — the most important part
  20. file — a line of people
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pit — in a race

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