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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. file — a tool
  3. season — in sport
  4. chair — a leader
  5. file — a document
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. key — in music
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. season — of the year
  15. wake — a trail
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — to handle
  18. key — for a lock
  19. file — a line of people
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. row — a line
  22. key — the most important part
  23. row — to paddle
  24. fine — all right

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