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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. file — a tool
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cue — for pool
  9. file — a document
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rash — hasty
  14. lean — thin
  15. chair — a leader
  16. net — after costs
  17. cue — a signal
  18. rash — a series
  19. rock — a stone
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bass — low music
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. file — a line of people

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