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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. rush — hurry
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. file — a tool
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. row — to paddle
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. face — to confront
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. board — to get on
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — part of the head
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pass — a permit
  24. hand — help

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