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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mark — a grade
  4. wound — an injury
  5. board — to get on
  6. bank — of a river
  7. file — a tool
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mark — a trace
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bank — for money
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. board — a committee
  16. bank — for money
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chest — a box
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rule — a law
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a document

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