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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: cue · lean · file · toast · mark · wound · cell · clip

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mark — a trace
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. cell — a phone
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. file — a line of people
  8. cue — a hint
  9. mark — a grade
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. clip — a video
  14. cell — in biology
  15. lean — thin
  16. cue — a signal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cue — for pool
  19. clip — for paper
  20. toast — bread
  21. file — a document
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. file — a tool
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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