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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. ground — a position
  4. saw — the tool
  5. file — a document
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. chip — for betting
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. file — a tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. file — a line of people
  22. fine — high quality
  23. chip — to eat
  24. leaves — of a tree

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