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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · rule · ground · plane · current · cabinet · file · chair

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. file — a line of people
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. ground — a position
  5. row — a line
  6. file — a document
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. current — happening now
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. current — of water
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. file — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. rule — government
  18. ground — the earth
  19. chair — a leader
  20. current — electric
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. row — to paddle
  24. ground — crushed

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