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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 · rest · game · fine · file · present · rule · lie

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. present — the time now
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. rest — what's left
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rest — what's left
  8. file — a tool
  9. present — a gift
  10. lie — to recline
  11. rule — government
  12. file — a document
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. present — there
  16. fine — all right
  17. chair — a leader
  18. fine — high quality
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. rest — a break
  23. game — wild animals
  24. fine — a penalty

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