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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. charge — in control
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. row — to paddle
  11. press — newspapers
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. file — a document
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mine — for digging
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. chair — a leader
  21. press — to push
  22. row — a line
  23. dip — to sink
  24. press — a publisher

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