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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. file — a document
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. file — a tool
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. fall — the season
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stem — to come from
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bore — to tire
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lie — an untruth

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