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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. net — in sport
  3. file — a tool
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mug — a cup
  6. net — after costs
  7. fine — all right
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mug — to rob
  11. net — for catching
  12. fine — high quality
  13. lean — thin
  14. mug — a face
  15. lean — to bend
  16. file — a line of people
  17. game — wild animals
  18. board — a committee
  19. spring — of water
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. spring — the season
  22. board — to get on
  23. game — a match
  24. lean — to rest against

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