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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. file — a document
  3. cue — a hint
  4. file — a tool
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cue — for pool
  8. field — farmland
  9. rash — a series
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. rash — hasty
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. board — to get on
  14. hand — in cards
  15. file — a line of people
  16. field — a subject
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. field — for sport
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cue — a signal
  23. hand — help
  24. board — a committee

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