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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. mine — for digging
  3. ground — a position
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mate — to breed
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. clip — for paper
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. board — a committee
  23. clip — a video
  24. mine — belonging to me

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