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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 · chip · rest · key · row · deal · file · wax

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. file — a tool
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wax — to grow
  6. chip — for betting
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. row — a line
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. board — a committee
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rest — what's left
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. board — to get on
  21. file — a document
  22. chip — to eat
  23. row — to paddle
  24. deal — to handle

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