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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. land — to come down
  3. clip — a video
  4. board — a committee
  5. clip — for paper
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mine — for digging
  11. snap — to click
  12. board — to get on
  13. court — for sport
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. court — of law
  17. mate — a partner
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mate — to breed
  20. court — of a king
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mine — an explosive
  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