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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 116 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. clip — to cut
  4. board — to get on
  5. content — happy
  6. current — happening now
  7. clip — a video
  8. snap — to click
  9. clip — for paper
  10. current — electric
  11. content — the amount
  12. dip — to sink
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. current — of water
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. last — finally
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. content — videos and posts

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