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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  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. roll — a list
  2. staff — employees
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. file — a document
  7. roll — a cake
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cold — an illness
  10. file — a tool
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. file — a line of people
  13. cold — not warm
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a committee
  17. chair — a leader
  18. staff — employees
  19. lie — to recline
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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