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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. rock — music
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. file — a document
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. file — a tool
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. saw — the tool
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bulb — for light
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. file — a line of people
  17. fine — all right
  18. rock — a stone
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. pass — a permit
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. chair — a leader
  24. saw — the tool

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