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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 116 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. file — a document
  5. chair — a leader
  6. cold — not warm
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. track — a song
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. present — the time now
  11. file — a line of people
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. track — a path
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. present — there
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. cold — an illness
  20. file — a tool
  21. present — a gift
  22. deal — to handle
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pitch — completely

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