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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. file — a tool
  3. object — an aim
  4. swing — to play on
  5. object — to protest
  6. root — of a word
  7. swing — music
  8. board — to get on
  9. file — a line of people
  10. chest — a box
  11. root — of a plant
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. board — a committee
  16. object — a thing
  17. swing — in golf
  18. root — the cause
  19. chest — of your body
  20. file — a document
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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