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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 120 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. last — to go on
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. track — to keep track
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. last — finally
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. last — final
  10. row — a line
  11. track — a path
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a line of people
  14. track — a song
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. board — a committee
  17. game — wild animals
  18. file — a tool
  19. row — to paddle
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. game — a match
  24. row — a quarrel

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