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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. hand — help
  9. clip — to cut
  10. stock — shares
  11. cue — a hint
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cue — a signal
  14. pass — a permit
  15. stock — goods
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. cue — for pool
  19. clip — a video
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. clip — for paper
  23. hand — in cards
  24. stock — a soup base

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