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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. press — to push
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cap — a lid
  5. saw — the tool
  6. clip — for paper
  7. board — a committee
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. spell — letters
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. press — newspapers
  13. cap — of ice
  14. press — a publisher
  15. stock — shares
  16. board — to get on
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. stock — goods
  19. cap — a hat
  20. spell — magic
  21. clip — to cut
  22. spell — a short time
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. clip — a video

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