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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. board — a committee
  3. drill — a practice
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. file — a document
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. board — to get on
  9. ground — crushed
  10. spell — a short time
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. drill — army training
  16. file — a tool
  17. ground — the earth
  18. spell — magic
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. file — a line of people
  21. ground — a position
  22. foot — a measure
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. drill — the 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