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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. degree — from a university
  3. track — a path
  4. clip — a video
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. degree — an amount
  7. spell — letters
  8. board — a committee
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. degree — temperature
  12. tube — a container
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. track — a song
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. kick — in football
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. board — to get on
  21. clip — for paper
  22. track — to keep track
  23. tube — the underground
  24. cabinet — ministers

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