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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 116 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: bear · file · swing · stick · board · saw · mate · game

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mate — to breed
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. swing — music
  9. file — a tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mate — a partner
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. swing — in golf
  15. board — to get on
  16. saw — the tool
  17. swing — to play on
  18. mate — a friend
  19. game — a match
  20. file — a document
  21. board — a committee
  22. saw — the tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. game — wild animals

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