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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. file — a document
  3. last — final
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. charge — in control
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. file — a line of people
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. last — finally
  19. charge — a price
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pound — a weight
  22. scale — in music
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. file — a tool

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