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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. dip — to sink
  4. board — to get on
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. clip — a video
  7. degree — an amount
  8. spring — of water
  9. clip — for paper
  10. key — for a lock
  11. degree — from a university
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. board — a committee
  14. spring — a coil
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. key — the most important part
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. spring — the season
  19. rash — hasty
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. degree — temperature
  22. key — in music
  23. rash — a series
  24. dip — a sauce

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