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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 120 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. staff — employees
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mate — a partner
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. staff — employees
  7. board — to get on
  8. file — a document
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bound — certain
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. mate — a friend
  15. file — a tool
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. mine — for digging
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mate — to breed

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