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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. clip — a video
  7. board — a committee
  8. wake — a trail
  9. chair — a leader
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a list
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. roll — a cake
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. board — to get on
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. clip — for paper
  23. toast — bread
  24. chair — a professorship

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