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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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. chair — a leader
  6. can — a tin
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. file — a document
  11. pass — a permit
  12. sharp — clever
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. can — a tin
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. spell — letters
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. can — to be able to
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. row — to paddle
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pass — to succeed

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