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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. roll — a list
  6. chair — a leader
  7. file — a tool
  8. object — to protest
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. capital — a city
  13. object — a thing
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bass — low music
  16. object — an aim
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. file — a line of people
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bass — the fish
  23. capital — money
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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