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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. clip — for paper
  3. can — a tin
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rest — what's left
  6. clip — a video
  7. cue — a hint
  8. rest — a break
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. clip — to cut
  11. cue — a signal
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — to get on
  15. roll — a cake
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cue — for pool
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. can — a tin
  20. roll — a list
  21. can — to be able to
  22. board — a committee
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. hide — to keep secret

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