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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. file — a line of people
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. board — a committee
  5. last — final
  6. staff — employees
  7. fine — all right
  8. game — a match
  9. last — finally
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a tool
  17. last — to go on
  18. staff — employees
  19. fine — high quality
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. board — to get on
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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