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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. march — the month
  3. staff — employees
  4. file — a line of people
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. march — the month
  7. staff — employees
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. file — a tool
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chair — a leader
  13. staff — a stick
  14. prune — to trim
  15. march — music
  16. file — a document
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. race — a contest
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. race — humankind
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. race — the arms race
  24. prune — to trim

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