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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. file — a tool
  3. squash — the sport
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cold — not warm
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. squash — to crush
  10. file — a line of people
  11. board — a committee
  12. track — to keep track
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. track — a song
  16. board — to get on
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cold — an illness
  19. track — a path
  20. wind — moving air
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wind — moving air
  23. saw — the tool
  24. file — a document

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