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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. object — to protest
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rock — a stone
  9. chest — a box
  10. object — an aim
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. file — a tool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rock — music
  16. object — a thing
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. file — a document

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