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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. board — a committee
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. clip — a video
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. mark — a grade
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. shower — rain
  17. clip — for paper
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — to get on
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. leaves — lets stay

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