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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. game — wild animals
  5. file — a document
  6. board — a committee
  7. file — a tool
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rock — music
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. rock — a stone
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. row — to paddle
  18. board — to get on
  19. roll — a cake
  20. game — a match
  21. row — a line
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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