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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. file — a tool
  3. last — to go on
  4. land — a country
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rock — a stone
  8. land — to come down
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. last — final
  15. board — to get on
  16. last — finally
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. deal — to handle
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. file — a document
  23. land — ground
  24. board — a committee

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