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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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 — to sit on
  3. cue — for pool
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wake — a trail
  6. file — a document
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. tube — a container
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. chair — a leader
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. plane — a tool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. cue — a signal
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. tube — the underground
  22. dip — to sink
  23. file — a tool
  24. dip — to dunk

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