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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. clip — a video
  4. track — a song
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. dip — to sink
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. chair — a leader
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. track — a path
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. track — to keep track
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rest — what's left
  21. board — a committee
  22. clip — for paper
  23. cold — an illness
  24. chair — to sit on

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