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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. board — a committee
  3. file — a line of people
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. file — a document
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. file — a tool
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. key — for a lock
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. key — the most important part
  18. hand — help
  19. bank — for money
  20. season — in sport
  21. key — in music
  22. board — to get on
  23. hand — in cards
  24. season — of the year

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