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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bound — obliged
  3. file — a document
  4. net — for catching
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. board — a committee
  8. bound — certain
  9. march — music
  10. key — in music
  11. stock — goods
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. march — the month
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stock — shares
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. march — the month
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — for a lock

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