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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bank — of a river
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. chest — of your body
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. file — a line of people
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. key — in music
  10. cap — a hat
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bank — for money
  13. key — for a lock
  14. cap — a lid
  15. chest — of your body
  16. game — a match
  17. cap — of ice
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bank — for money
  20. file — a tool
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. chest — a box
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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