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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. cap — of ice
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. file — a tool
  9. cap — a lid
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. chair — a leader
  14. firm — decided
  15. rest — what's left
  16. firm — a company
  17. wake — a trail
  18. file — a document
  19. firm — steady
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cap — a hat
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. land — ground
  24. chair — a professorship

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