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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 116 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. board — a committee
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. drill — the tool
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — a thing
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. present — a gift
  13. file — a line of people
  14. face — to confront
  15. object — an aim
  16. board — to get on
  17. file — a document
  18. present — the time now
  19. drill — a practice
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. file — a tool
  22. face — part of the head
  23. drill — army training
  24. craft — a handicraft

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