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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. file — a line of people
  4. board — to get on
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. chip — to eat
  8. last — to go on
  9. cell — in biology
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. toast — bread
  14. board — a committee
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bore — to drill
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. file — a document
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. season — in sport
  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