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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. board — a committee
  3. land — to come down
  4. court — of a king
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. land — ground
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. file — a document
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. firm — steady
  13. root — the cause
  14. court — of law
  15. root — of a word
  16. firm — decided
  17. land — a country
  18. board — to get on
  19. court — for sport
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wax — to grow
  23. file — a tool
  24. firm — a company

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