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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. snap — to click
  3. game — a match
  4. cap — a lid
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cap — of ice
  8. clip — a video
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. board — a committee
  14. clip — to cut
  15. board — to get on
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. clip — for paper
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cap — a hat
  24. board — a flat piece

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