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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: dip · file · rest · firm · mouse · cold · drill · chair

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. firm — steady
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. firm — a company
  7. rest — what's left
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. file — a tool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. file — a document
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. drill — a practice
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rest — a break
  19. dip — to sink
  20. file — a line of people
  21. firm — decided
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. chair — a leader

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