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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. file — a tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cap — a hat
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rock — music
  11. file — a line of people
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cap — a lid
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. cap — of ice
  18. file — a document
  19. saw — the tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. saw — the tool
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rock — a stone

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