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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 116 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. hand — help
  6. board — to get on
  7. hand — in cards
  8. track — a song
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bat — the animal
  14. board — a committee
  15. file — a tool
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. file — a line of people
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. band — a music group

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