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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. present — the time now
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mate — a friend
  8. board — a committee
  9. mate — a partner
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. file — a tool
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. lean — to bend
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. lean — thin
  17. board — to get on
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. snap — to click
  20. mate — to breed
  21. present — there
  22. file — a document
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. ruler — for measuring

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