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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. plane — a tool
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bound — tied together
  6. object — a thing
  7. file — a tool
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. object — an aim
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rock — a stone
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. file — a document
  16. rock — music
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bound — certain
  21. tube — a container
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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