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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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 tool
  3. clip — a video
  4. root — of a word
  5. file — a document
  6. board — a committee
  7. shower — rain
  8. bore — to tire
  9. club — a group
  10. clip — to cut
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bore — to drill
  13. root — the cause
  14. shower — to wash
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. file — a line of people
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. club — for golf
  22. root — of a plant
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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