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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. can — to be able to
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. can — a tin
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. file — a tool
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pass — a permit
  15. saw — the tool
  16. can — a tin
  17. file — a document
  18. ground — the earth
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. file — a line of people

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