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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. game — a match
  11. board — a committee
  12. game — wild animals
  13. board — to get on
  14. file — a tool
  15. clip — a video
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. clip — to cut
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. file — a document
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. ruler — for measuring

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