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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. file — a document
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. chair — a leader
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. file — a line of people
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. file — a tool
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bound — certain
  12. present — the time now
  13. race — a contest
  14. bound — tied together
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. race — humankind
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bound — obliged
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. present — there
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. dip — to sink
  24. race — the arms race

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