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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. file — a line of people
  3. board — a committee
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. board — to get on
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. file — a document
  10. rule — a law
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cold — not warm
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rule — government
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. file — a tool
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rush — hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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