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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. current — electric
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. board — to get on
  7. file — a document
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. board — a committee
  11. file — a tool
  12. spring — the season
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. spring — a coil
  17. file — a line of people
  18. current — happening now
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. chest — a box
  22. current — of water
  23. chest — of your body
  24. spring — of water

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