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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. snap — to click
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — a committee
  5. clip — a video
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. press — newspapers
  8. content — the amount
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. clip — to cut
  11. press — a publisher
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to confront
  16. content — happy
  17. mate — a friend
  18. face — to point toward
  19. press — to push
  20. board — to get on
  21. clip — for paper
  22. mate — a partner
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mate — to breed

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