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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: pitcher · kick · tear · board · leaves · file · ruler · cell

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. file — a document
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. board — to get on
  7. cell — in biology
  8. tear — to rip
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. kick — in football
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. file — a tool
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. tear — from crying
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. cell — a phone
  24. ruler — for measuring

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