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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. staff — employees
  3. board — to get on
  4. sharp — clever
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. last — to go on
  8. file — a line of people
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a great time
  11. file — a tool
  12. board — a committee
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. staff — a stick
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. last — final
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. staff — employees
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. last — finally

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