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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. board — a committee
  3. clip — a video
  4. board — to get on
  5. march — the month
  6. clip — for paper
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. fall — to drop
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. dip — to sink
  12. track — to keep track
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. march — music
  15. track — a path
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fall — the season
  18. march — the month
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. clip — to cut
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. fall — to drop
  24. track — a song

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