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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: mark · board · roll · file · club · kid · bear · bat

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a tool
  4. board — a committee
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mark — a trace
  11. board — to get on
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mark — a grade
  14. club — for golf
  15. roll — a cake
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bat — the animal
  21. club — for dancing
  22. kid — to tease
  23. club — a group
  24. kid — child

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