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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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 · pit · file · chair · cabinet · straw · season · mine

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pit — in a race
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pit — a hole
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. chair — a leader
  10. season — of the year
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. season — in sport
  15. file — a document
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. row — a line
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. file — a tool
  23. row — to paddle
  24. file — a line of people

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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