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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — to get on
  4. content — happy
  5. chest — a box
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. clip — a video
  8. chest — of your body
  9. clip — for paper
  10. file — a tool
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. content — the amount
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mate — to breed
  19. file — a line of people
  20. chest — of your body
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — in music
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. board — a flat piece

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