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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. sharp — clever
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. clip — a video
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. court — of law
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. perch — the fish
  12. court — of a king
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. court — for sport
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. board — to get on
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. fine — all right
  21. clip — for paper
  22. land — to come down
  23. fine — high quality
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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