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

Word bank: file · pound · roll · chair · pit · stick · firm · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pit — in a race
  4. firm — decided
  5. file — a tool
  6. firm — a company
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. tear — from crying
  9. firm — steady
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. pit — a hole
  14. roll — a cake
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. tear — to rip
  17. roll — a list
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. file — a document
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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