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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. swing — to play on
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. object — a thing
  5. file — a document
  6. mine — for digging
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — bread
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. object — to protest
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. firm — a company
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. swing — music
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. object — an aim
  21. chair — a leader
  22. firm — steady
  23. swing — in golf
  24. chair — to sit on

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