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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. 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. track — a song
  2. craft — boats
  3. spell — a short time
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. present — the time now
  7. pass — a permit
  8. present — there
  9. track — to keep track
  10. clip — to cut
  11. track — a path
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. spell — magic
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. root — the cause
  17. clip — for paper
  18. spell — letters
  19. root — of a word
  20. craft — a skill
  21. present — a gift
  22. clip — a video
  23. root — of a plant
  24. 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