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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. file — a document
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. chair — a leader
  11. file — a tool
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. wind — moving air
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rule — a law
  20. wind — moving air
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rule — government
  23. stand — to bear
  24. prune — the fruit

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