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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: object · wound · file · land · board · cap · foot · roll

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. object — to protest
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — a committee
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. object — an aim
  8. foot — a measure
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cap — of ice
  11. land — ground
  12. board — to get on
  13. wound — an injury
  14. roll — a list
  15. land — a country
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. object — a thing
  19. land — to come down
  20. file — a tool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. roll — a cake
  23. file — a document
  24. foot — part of the body

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