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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. file — a tool
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. rest — what's left
  5. file — a line of people
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. file — a document
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. game — a match
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rock — music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. board — to get on
  18. clip — to cut
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rest — a break
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rock — a stone
  24. deal — an agreement

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