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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. file — a document
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. file — a tool
  6. track — a path
  7. mug — to rob
  8. track — a song
  9. cold — an illness
  10. chair — a leader
  11. club — for golf
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cold — not warm
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mug — a face
  20. club — a group
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. mug — a cup
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. track — to keep track

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