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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 · staff · board · mark · mug · row · game · tear

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. mug — a face
  3. game — wild animals
  4. file — a tool
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mug — to rob
  7. staff — employees
  8. mug — a cup
  9. game — a match
  10. board — a committee
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. staff — a stick
  14. file — a line of people
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. staff — employees
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. tear — from crying
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. tear — from crying
  23. board — to get on
  24. mark — a grade

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