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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. cue — a hint
  3. root — of a word
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. present — a gift
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. board — a committee
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. root — the cause
  15. cue — a signal
  16. present — there
  17. present — the time now
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mine — for digging
  21. board — to get on
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — music
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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