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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: cell · jam · file · toast · capital · wave · bowl · rule

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. rule — a law
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. toast — bread
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. capital — money
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. cell — a phone
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. file — a tool
  22. capital — a city
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. rule — government

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