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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. board — to get on
  3. clip — a video
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. present — a gift
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. scale — in music
  10. fine — all right
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. present — the time now
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. board — a committee
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wind — moving air
  22. clip — to cut
  23. present — there
  24. clip — for paper

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