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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · ground · mark · board · deal · cue · date · file

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. ground — the earth
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. cue — a hint
  7. deal — to handle
  8. cue — a signal
  9. ground — crushed
  10. file — a line of people
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mark — a grade
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. board — a committee
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cue — for pool
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. mark — a trace
  23. ground — a position
  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