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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. saw — the tool
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. sharp — clever
  10. band — a ring
  11. mark — a grade
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. mark — a trace
  14. file — a tool
  15. club — a group
  16. saw — the tool
  17. club — for golf
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mate — a partner
  22. file — a document
  23. mate — a friend
  24. file — a line of people

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