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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. game — a match
  3. present — the time now
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. roll — a cake
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pop — music
  8. present — a gift
  9. board — a committee
  10. clip — for paper
  11. roll — a list
  12. clip — to cut
  13. staff — a stick
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. pop — soda
  21. clip — a video
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. present — there

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