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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: foot · wind · saw · chair · trunk · arm · pass · file

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. saw — the tool
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. saw — the tool
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. wind — moving air
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wind — moving air
  19. foot — a measure
  20. file — a document
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pass — a permit
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. pass — to spend time

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