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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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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 · board · tube · last · land · bay · cue · sharp

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. board — a committee
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. cue — a hint
  8. file — a line of people
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. last — to go on
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. file — a document
  16. last — finally
  17. cue — for pool
  18. last — final
  19. cue — a signal
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. board — to get on
  22. tube — a container
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. board — a flat piece

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