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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. staff — employees
  3. rule — government
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. plane — a tool
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. file — a document
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to drill
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. file — a line of people
  22. staff — employees
  23. rule — a law
  24. file — a tool

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