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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. suit — clothes
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. land — ground
  8. file — a document
  9. land — to come down
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spring — of water
  12. row — to paddle
  13. spring — a coil
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. row — a line
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. file — a line of people
  19. spring — the season
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — in cards
  23. land — a country
  24. file — a tool

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