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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bulb — for light
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. file — a line of people
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. lean — thin
  8. can — a tin
  9. chair — a leader
  10. net — for catching
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. pit — in a race
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. file — a document
  18. bulb — for light
  19. file — a tool
  20. can — a tin
  21. pit — a hole
  22. rest — a break
  23. lean — to bend
  24. can — to be able to

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