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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cue — for pool
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. perch — the fish
  11. cue — a signal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cue — a hint
  18. clip — a video
  19. rash — a series
  20. clip — to cut
  21. snap — to click
  22. board — to get on
  23. fine — all right
  24. board — a committee

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