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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bat — the animal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. file — a document
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. file — a tool
  8. face — to point toward
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. face — part of the head
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. board — a committee
  15. current — happening now
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. face — to confront
  18. board — to get on
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. band — a music group
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — to bear

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