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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. file — a line of people
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rock — music
  10. object — an aim
  11. chair — a leader
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rock — a stone
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. file — a tool
  18. object — a thing
  19. deal — to handle
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. file — a document
  23. sharp — clever
  24. object — to protest

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