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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. pound — a weight
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. file — a tool
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. chair — a leader
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. file — a document
  12. track — a path
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. roll — a cake
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rock — a stone
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mark — a grade
  20. roll — a list
  21. track — a song
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mark — a trace

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