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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. clip — for paper
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. file — a document
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bank — for money
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a tool
  12. board — a committee
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bank — of a river
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — the underground
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bank — for money
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. clip — a video
  24. nail — for a hammer

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