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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. can — a tin
  3. ground — the earth
  4. board — to get on
  5. track — to keep track
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. track — a path
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. board — a committee
  12. can — a tin
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. file — a document
  15. kid — child
  16. fork — in a road
  17. file — a tool
  18. track — a song
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. kid — to tease
  24. can — to be able to

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