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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.

Make a worksheet

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

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. file — a document
  3. ground — the earth
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mine — for digging
  6. chair — a leader
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. toast — bread
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ground — a position
  17. file — a tool
  18. ground — crushed

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