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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. land — a country
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. file — a tool
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. file — a line of people
  13. board — to get on
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. game — a match
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wake — a trail
  19. land — ground
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. board — a committee
  22. land — to come down
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wake — before a funeral

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