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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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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: file · dip · bound · rash · coach · fine · board · shower

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. dip — to sink
  3. file — a line of people
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bound — obliged
  6. board — to get on
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bound — tied together
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. file — a tool
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. file — a document
  17. fine — high quality
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bound — certain
  20. shower — rain
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rash — hasty
  23. shower — to wash
  24. board — a committee

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