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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. file — a line of people
  4. board — to get on
  5. row — to paddle
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. file — a document
  11. object — an aim
  12. board — a committee
  13. row — a line
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — to protest
  16. wound — an injury
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. club — for golf
  19. wound — an injury
  20. plane — a tool
  21. file — a tool
  22. club — a group
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. club — for dancing

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