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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. snap — to click
  4. mark — a grade
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. board — to get on
  7. charge — a price
  8. file — a line of people
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. board — a committee
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. band — a music group
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. band — a ring
  16. file — a document
  17. mark — a trace
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. perch — the fish
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. charge — electricity
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. charge — in control

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