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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. file — a line of people
  4. cell — in biology
  5. file — a tool
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. net — after costs
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pit — in a race
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cell — a phone
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. file — a document
  19. net — for catching
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. lean — thin
  23. net — in sport
  24. pit — a hole

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