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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. clip — a video
  3. board — a committee
  4. club — a group
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. clip — to cut
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mate — to breed
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mate — a friend
  14. board — to get on
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — for golf
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. degree — from a university
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wind — moving air
  24. degree — an amount

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