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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to click
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. fork — in a road
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. board — a committee
  9. file — a document
  10. track — a song
  11. board — to get on
  12. track — to keep track
  13. root — of a word
  14. file — a line of people
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. root — of a plant
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. chair — a leader
  19. root — the cause
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. file — a tool
  22. track — a path
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. ruler — for measuring

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