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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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. chair — a leader
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. firm — steady
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. cue — for pool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. bulb — for light
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. file — a document
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bulb — for light
  16. branch — a division
  17. spell — magic
  18. cue — a hint
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — decided
  21. spell — a short time
  22. cue — a signal
  23. spell — letters
  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