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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. ground — the earth
  3. present — the time now
  4. board — to get on
  5. ground — a position
  6. clip — to cut
  7. ground — crushed
  8. clip — a video
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — there
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. board — a committee

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