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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. present — there
  4. file — a tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. file — a document
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. present — the time now
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. file — a line of people
  21. present — a gift
  22. bulb — for light
  23. saw — the tool
  24. leaves — of a tree

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