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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. staff — a stick
  4. clip — to cut
  5. staff — employees
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cold — an illness
  10. board — to get on
  11. clip — for paper
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. saw — the tool
  14. board — a committee
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. staff — employees
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cold — not warm
  21. clip — a video
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. saw — the tool
  24. lie — an untruth

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