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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. key — the most important part
  6. staff — a stick
  7. file — a document
  8. fine — high quality
  9. rock — music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. board — to get on
  15. staff — employees
  16. current — happening now
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. staff — employees
  20. snap — to click
  21. rock — a stone
  22. file — a tool
  23. fine — all right
  24. key — in music

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