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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. board — a committee
  4. bank — for money
  5. file — a document
  6. wake — a trail
  7. squash — the sport
  8. file — a tool
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. present — the time now
  11. squash — to crush
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rash — a series
  14. board — to get on
  15. bank — for money
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rash — hasty
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. present — there
  21. bank — of a river
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. board — a flat piece

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