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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. last — finally
  3. clip — to cut
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. face — part of the head
  6. board — a committee
  7. last — final
  8. charge — a price
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. charge — in control
  11. last — to go on
  12. board — to get on
  13. clip — a video
  14. present — there
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. present — a gift
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. charge — electricity
  24. arm — part of the body

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