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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 116 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. pop — music
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. dip — to sink
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pop — soda
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. row — a line
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. clip — to cut
  18. board — to get on
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. pop — to visit
  21. clip — for paper
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. spell — a short time
  24. clip — a video

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