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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. cap — of ice
  3. hand — help
  4. swing — in golf
  5. file — a document
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bore — to tire
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. swing — to play on
  11. cap — a hat
  12. swing — music
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bore — to drill
  16. file — a line of people
  17. board — a committee
  18. file — a tool

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