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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chest — a box
  3. scale — size or range
  4. drill — the tool
  5. suit — clothes
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. file — a document
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. scale — in music
  10. file — a line of people
  11. suit — to fit
  12. suit — in cards
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. file — a tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. chest — of your body
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. drill — a practice

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