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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — in a race
  5. file — a document
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. board — to get on
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rest — a break
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. last — to go on
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. file — a tool
  18. pit — a hole
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. board — a committee
  22. rest — what's left
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. rest — what's left

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