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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. board — a committee
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. file — a tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — a permit
  13. drill — a practice
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. file — a document
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. club — a group
  19. drill — army training
  20. file — a line of people
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. drill — the tool
  23. club — for dancing
  24. board — to get on

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