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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. file — a tool
  4. spell — magic
  5. chip — for betting
  6. file — a line of people
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. chip — to eat
  10. board — a committee
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. board — to get on
  13. file — a document
  14. wake — a trail
  15. capital — a city
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pitch — completely
  19. capital — money
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. mark — a trace
  24. spell — letters

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