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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 124 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. stock — goods
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. roll — a list
  9. stock — shares
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. board — to get on
  13. clip — a video
  14. board — a committee
  15. march — the month
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. mark — a trace
  22. roll — a cake
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wind — moving air

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