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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: roll · fall · mine · staff · charge · file · key · board

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mine — for digging
  3. file — a tool
  4. fall — the season
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. file — a document
  7. key — in music
  8. board — a committee
  9. key — the most important part
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fall — to drop
  14. staff — employees
  15. key — for a lock
  16. charge — in control
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — a cake
  19. charge — electricity
  20. fall — to drop
  21. file — a line of people
  22. charge — a price
  23. staff — a stick
  24. board — to get on

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