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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. staff — a stick
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. file — a document
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. rest — a break
  10. mark — a grade
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. stand — to bear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. staff — employees
  19. file — a tool
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. staff — employees

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