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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 120 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mine — for digging
  3. face — to point toward
  4. wound — an injury
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bound — certain
  7. file — a line of people
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bound — obliged
  17. scale — in music
  18. face — to confront
  19. rest — a break
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a tool
  22. wound — an injury
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bound — tied together

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