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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. file — a document
  3. field — a subject
  4. content — happy
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. field — farmland
  7. branch — a division
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. march — the month
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. board — a committee
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. march — the month
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. march — music
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. file — a line of people
  22. content — the amount
  23. field — for sport
  24. file — a tool

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