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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rock — music
  4. board — a committee
  5. clip — to cut
  6. shower — rain
  7. mate — a friend
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. mate — to breed
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rock — a stone
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mate — a partner
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. shower — to wash
  19. clip — a video
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. clip — for paper
  22. hand — help
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — to get on

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