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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: march · leaves · board · pitcher · object · file · row · clip

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. file — a line of people
  3. row — a line
  4. object — a thing
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. file — a tool
  7. clip — for paper
  8. row — to paddle
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. object — an aim
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. clip — a video
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. march — the month
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — to get on
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. march — the month
  19. file — a document
  20. march — music
  21. object — to protest
  22. clip — to cut
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. leaves — of a tree

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