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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. file — a document
  3. suit — in cards
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. clip — to cut
  7. wind — moving air
  8. file — a tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rest — a break
  12. suit — to fit
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rest — what's left
  17. current — happening now
  18. dip — to sink
  19. clip — a video
  20. file — a line of people
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. suit — clothes
  24. clip — for paper

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