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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 124 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cold — an illness
  4. file — a tool
  5. chair — a leader
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. file — a document
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. cold — not warm
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. suit — to fit
  23. file — a line of people
  24. suit — clothes

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