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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. last — final
  3. board — a committee
  4. mate — a friend
  5. drill — army training
  6. last — finally
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. net — in sport
  10. board — to get on
  11. drill — a practice
  12. clip — to cut
  13. net — for catching
  14. drill — the tool
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mate — to breed
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — to fit
  21. net — after costs
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. mate — a partner
  24. last — to go 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