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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. file — a line of people
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. file — a tool
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. chair — a leader
  16. lie — to recline
  17. file — a document
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rash — a series
  20. clip — a video
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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