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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 · mouse · mug · mark · row · object · file · fall

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — to protest
  4. mark — a grade
  5. file — a line of people
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. chair — a leader
  9. fall — the season
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mark — a trace
  13. file — a document
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. row — a line
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. object — a thing
  21. file — a tool
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. fall — to drop

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