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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. foot — a measure
  4. clip — a video
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. clip — to cut
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. board — a committee
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. clip — for paper
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. kick — in football
  14. snap — to click
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. capital — a city
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. lean — thin
  22. capital — money
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. lean — to bend

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