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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. board — a committee
  3. spell — magic
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wound — an injury
  6. file — a document
  7. spell — letters
  8. staff — a stick
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pitch — completely
  14. board — to get on
  15. track — a song
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. staff — employees
  18. wound — an injury
  19. staff — employees
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. spell — a short time
  24. file — a tool

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