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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. fine — high quality
  4. chest — a box
  5. last — finally
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. chest — of your body
  8. charge — in control
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. file — a line of people
  11. charge — a price
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fine — all right
  16. last — to go on
  17. charge — electricity
  18. board — to get on
  19. file — a tool
  20. board — a committee
  21. file — a document
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. last — final

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