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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. row — a line
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. spell — a short time
  6. suit — clothes
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. spell — magic
  9. suit — to fit
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. spell — letters
  14. mug — a cup
  15. suit — in cards
  16. mug — a face
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. clip — a video
  20. content — the amount
  21. board — to get on
  22. content — happy
  23. clip — to cut
  24. board — a committee

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