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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bear — the animal
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. clip — to cut
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. clip — a video
  12. degree — an amount
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rest — what's left
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. sharp — clever
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. snap — to click

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