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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: field · suit · file · cell · lie · object · cue · date

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cell — a phone
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — to protest
  6. file — a document
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. field — a subject
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. object — an aim
  11. suit — clothes
  12. file — a tool
  13. date — the fruit
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. suit — to fit
  20. field — farmland
  21. cell — in biology
  22. field — for sport
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cue — for pool

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