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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stand — to bear
  7. rule — a law
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. board — to get on
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. plane — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rule — government
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. file — a tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. land — to come down
  24. branch — a division

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