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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. board — a committee
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pass — a permit
  5. dip — to sink
  6. board — to get on
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pop — music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bore — to tire
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. clip — to cut
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. can — a tin
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. clip — a video
  22. can — a tin
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pass — to succeed

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