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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. face — part of the head
  9. capital — a city
  10. face — to confront
  11. cue — for pool
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. board — to get on
  14. clip — to cut
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to sink
  17. capital — money
  18. clip — a video
  19. rush — hurry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. board — a committee
  22. face — to point toward
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. capital — a big letter

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