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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. chest — of your body
  5. scale — size or range
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. staff — employees
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. staff — employees
  12. chest — a box
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chest — of your body
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. scale — in music
  17. board — a committee
  18. lie — to recline
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. file — a tool
  21. staff — a stick
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. file — a line of people

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