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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 120 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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. fork — in a road
  3. board — a committee
  4. pop — music
  5. clip — to cut
  6. swing — to play on
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pop — soda
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. swing — in golf
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. clip — a video
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. rest — what's left
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rest — a break
  23. swing — music
  24. bowl — to roll

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