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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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. rock — music
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. net — after costs
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. rest — a break
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. net — in sport
  10. bound — obliged
  11. file — a tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pass — a permit
  14. rock — a stone
  15. chair — a leader
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. net — for catching
  21. bound — certain
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bound — tied together
  24. file — a document

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