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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. file — a line of people
  3. lean — thin
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. last — finally
  8. kick — in football
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. board — a committee
  12. charge — a price
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. charge — in control
  15. game — wild animals
  16. charge — electricity
  17. game — a match
  18. lean — to bend
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. last — to go on
  23. board — to get on
  24. spring — of water

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