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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 120 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. file — a tool
  6. board — a committee
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. file — a line of people
  9. board — to get on
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mine — for digging
  17. file — a document
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. perch — the fish

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