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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. row — to paddle
  3. mug — to rob
  4. file — a document
  5. fall — to drop
  6. row — a line
  7. file — a tool
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. mug — a face
  11. scale — size or range
  12. staff — a stick
  13. chair — a leader
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mug — a cup
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — in music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. fall — the season
  24. chair — to sit on

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