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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: staff · file · ruler · kick · tear · chair · bound · pit

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bound — tied together
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. tear — to rip
  7. file — a document
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bound — obliged
  10. staff — employees
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bound — certain
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pit — in a race
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. pit — a hole
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. file — a tool
  24. kick — in football

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