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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. march — the month
  3. face — to confront
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. spell — a short time
  7. clip — a video
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. clip — to cut
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. board — a committee
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. march — the month
  15. spell — letters
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. march — music
  19. face — to point toward
  20. perch — the fish
  21. board — to get on
  22. clip — for paper
  23. face — part of the head
  24. spell — magic

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