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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. snap — to click
  3. board — a committee
  4. clip — to cut
  5. plane — a tool
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. clip — a video
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. suit — to fit
  11. clip — for paper
  12. suit — clothes
  13. club — for golf
  14. suit — in cards
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. board — to get on
  24. plane — in geometry

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