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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. date — the fruit
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — a committee
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. file — a document
  7. chair — a leader
  8. board — to get on
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. clip — for paper
  12. swing — in golf
  13. file — a tool
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. swing — music
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. file — a line of people
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wound — an injury
  24. swing — to play on

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