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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. spell — magic
  3. swing — music
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. file — a line of people
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bear — the animal
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. spell — a short time
  10. swing — in golf
  11. file — a document
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. stock — goods
  17. spell — letters
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. stock — shares
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. file — a tool
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. swing — to play on
  24. ruler — for measuring

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