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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: chair · pop · file · safe · net · ground · rest · fall

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. net — in sport
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ground — the earth
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. net — after costs
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fall — the season
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pop — music
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rest — a break
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. file — a tool
  20. pop — soda
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. ground — a position
  23. fall — to drop
  24. net — for catching

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