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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: board · pit · file · rock · nail · fall · cold · mate

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rock — music
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pit — in a race
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cold — not warm
  8. board — to get on
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pit — a hole
  13. fall — the season
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. board — a committee
  16. file — a line of people
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. file — a tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mate — a partner
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. rock — a stone
  24. cold — an illness

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