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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. file — a document
  5. stand — to bear
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bass — the fish
  8. file — a tool
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bass — low music
  11. chair — a leader
  12. saw — the tool
  13. branch — a division
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cap — of ice
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cap — a hat
  24. face — to confront

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