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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. board — a committee
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. mug — a face
  5. clip — to cut
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — to protest
  8. craft — a skill
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. object — a thing
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mug — a cup
  14. fork — in a road
  15. mug — to rob
  16. file — a document
  17. cue — a signal
  18. board — to get on
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. cue — for pool
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. craft — boats
  24. board — a flat piece

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