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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. file — a document
  4. board — to get on
  5. fall — the season
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rock — music
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. fall — to drop
  12. shower — to wash
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. chair — a leader
  19. shower — rain
  20. file — a tool
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fall — to drop
  24. chair — a professorship

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