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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. file — a document
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. degree — from a university
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. degree — an amount
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rule — a law
  16. file — a tool
  17. deal — to handle
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. rule — government
  23. degree — temperature
  24. chair — a leader

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