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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. fine — high quality
  3. spell — a short time
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fine — all right
  6. spell — magic
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. file — a tool
  11. field — for sport
  12. board — a committee
  13. file — a document
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. spell — letters
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — with a leg

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