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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. rash — hasty
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. chair — a leader
  6. file — a tool
  7. fine — all right
  8. file — a document
  9. rock — music
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bass — low music
  15. fine — high quality
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rash — a series
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rock — a stone
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bass — the fish

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