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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: dip · present · leaves · pop · board · net · chest · file

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. file — a document
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. present — there
  6. pop — to visit
  7. chest — of your body
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pop — music
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. net — after costs
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pop — soda
  15. present — the time now
  16. dip — to sink
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. board — to get on
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — in sport
  21. present — a gift
  22. file — a tool
  23. board — a committee
  24. chest — a box

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