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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: chair · file · bear · foot · bass · wind · mate · pit

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. bear — to put up with
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. file — a document
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. mate — a friend
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bass — low music
  18. pit — in a race
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pit — a hole
  22. wind — moving air
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a line of people

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