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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. land — to come down
  3. board — to get on
  4. suit — to fit
  5. mine — for digging
  6. charge — in control
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. file — a tool
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. face — to confront
  13. charge — a price
  14. file — a document
  15. charge — electricity
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — part of the head
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pit — in a race
  20. land — a country
  21. suit — in cards
  22. file — a line of people
  23. land — ground
  24. suit — clothes

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