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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. tube — a container
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. file — a tool
  5. bank — of a river
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. tube — the underground
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. saw — the tool
  10. board — a committee
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bat — the animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rash — hasty
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bank — for money
  18. file — a document
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rash — a series
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. board — to get on

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