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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. tube — a container
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. file — a line of people
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mark — a trace
  15. file — a document
  16. chair — a leader
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. file — a tool
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wound — an injury
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. rush — hurry

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