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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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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: object · branch · file · chair · cold · field · pass · cue

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. object — a thing
  3. chair — a leader
  4. file — a line of people
  5. branch — a division
  6. object — an aim
  7. file — a tool
  8. field — farmland
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cold — an illness
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. cold — not warm
  13. field — for sport
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. file — a document
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cue — a hint
  22. field — a subject
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. object — to protest

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