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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. clip — a video
  5. pound — a weight
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. prune — to trim
  11. suit — in cards
  12. clip — for paper
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. board — to get on
  17. suit — to fit
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. suit — clothes
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. clip — to cut
  24. arm — part of the body

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