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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. clip — a video
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. perch — the fish
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. land — a country
  8. board — to get on
  9. fork — in a road
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. board — a committee
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. clip — for paper
  21. land — to come down
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fork — a garden tool

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