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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bear — the animal
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. board — a committee
  6. wound — an injury
  7. deal — to handle
  8. mate — a friend
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mate — a partner
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitch — completely
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mate — to breed
  18. clip — for paper
  19. perch — the fish
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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