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

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. chair — a leader
  3. mark — a grade
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. mark — a trace
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pass — a permit
  13. file — a document
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. file — a tool
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. file — a line of people
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mark — to pay attention

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