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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. board — a committee
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. spring — a coil
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. spring — of water
  9. rest — what's left
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. board — to get on
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rest — a break
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. file — a line of people
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. file — a tool
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. spring — the season
  24. rest — what's left

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