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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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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: board · bay · mark · dip · file · kid · net · fall

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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. board — to get on
  2. kid — to tease
  3. file — a line of people
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fall — to drop
  6. net — after costs
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. fall — the season
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. net — for catching
  11. kid — child
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. board — a committee
  16. dip — to sink
  17. net — in sport
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. file — a tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mark — a trace
  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