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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. row — to paddle
  3. file — a tool
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. cap — a lid
  6. file — a document
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. cap — of ice
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. spell — a short time
  11. key — the most important part
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. cap — a hat
  15. key — in music
  16. board — a committee
  17. branch — a division
  18. key — for a lock
  19. rush — hurry
  20. row — a line
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. file — a line of people
  23. spell — letters
  24. board — to get on

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