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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rock — a stone
  3. board — a committee
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. season — in sport
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. firm — a company
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rock — music
  12. kick — in football
  13. season — of the year
  14. club — for golf
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. club — a group
  18. clip — a video
  19. club — for dancing
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. board — to get on
  22. firm — steady
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. firm — decided

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