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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. file — a line of people
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. face — to confront
  5. mug — to rob
  6. face — to point toward
  7. mug — a cup
  8. file — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. tear — from crying
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. face — part of the head
  19. plane — a tool
  20. mug — a face
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chair — a leader
  23. tear — to rip
  24. file — a document

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