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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. file — a tool
  3. face — to confront
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. toast — bread
  7. stock — goods
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. face — to point toward
  10. file — a document
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. face — part of the head
  15. board — to get on
  16. stock — shares
  17. tear — from crying
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. tear — from crying
  20. file — a line of people
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. trunk — of a tree

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