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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. board — a committee
  3. file — a line of people
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. file — a tool
  7. mate — a friend
  8. board — to get on
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mate — a partner
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. file — a document
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. swing — in golf
  17. foot — a measure
  18. game — a match
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. game — wild animals
  21. spell — letters
  22. mate — to breed
  23. spell — magic
  24. foot — part of the body

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