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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. object — an aim
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. kid — child
  6. wake — a trail
  7. prune — to trim
  8. firm — steady
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. chair — a leader
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — a company
  15. object — to protest
  16. file — a tool
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. object — a thing
  20. kid — to tease
  21. prune — to trim
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. file — a line of people
  24. racket — for tennis

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