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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. lean — to bend
  3. board — to get on
  4. rash — a series
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. clip — a video
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. rash — hasty
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lean — thin
  14. saw — the tool
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. board — a committee
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. clip — for paper
  23. land — to come down
  24. clip — to cut

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