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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 116 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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. snap — to click
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. file — a tool
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. hand — help
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. season — of the year
  11. current — of water
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. board — a committee
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. file — a document
  20. hand — in cards
  21. season — in sport
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. file — a line of people
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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