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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. file — a tool
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mug — to rob
  9. track — a path
  10. track — a song
  11. chair — a leader
  12. prune — to trim
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. track — to keep track
  15. mug — a cup
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. file — a document
  22. rule — a law
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rule — government

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