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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 120 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. chair — a leader
  3. season — of the year
  4. prune — to trim
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. season — in sport
  11. object — to protest
  12. rush — hurry
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. object — a thing
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. file — a document
  20. dip — to sink
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. object — an aim
  24. file — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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