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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 124 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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. can — a tin
  4. wound — an injury
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. board — a committee
  13. file — a line of people
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. can — a tin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. file — a document
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. file — a tool
  24. lie — to recline

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