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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chair — a leader
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. land — to come down
  5. file — a line of people
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. saw — the tool
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. saw — the tool
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. mine — for digging
  16. file — a tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. sharp — clever
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. file — a document
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. safe — out of danger

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