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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: tube · temple · ball · toast · cell · cue · file · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. file — a document
  3. chair — a leader
  4. file — a line of people
  5. cell — a phone
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. cell — in biology
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. file — a tool
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. tube — the underground
  15. cue — for pool
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cue — a signal
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. cue — a hint
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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