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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. file — a document
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. march — music
  7. field — a subject
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mark — a grade
  10. file — a line of people
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. field — farmland
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. board — a committee
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. spell — magic
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. field — for sport
  24. file — a tool

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