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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. sharp — clever
  9. firm — a company
  10. saw — the tool
  11. snap — to click
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. firm — steady
  14. foot — a measure
  15. saw — the tool
  16. file — a document
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. file — a tool
  20. chair — a leader
  21. firm — decided
  22. file — a line of people
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. sharp — with an edge

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