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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 116 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kid — to tease
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. stand — to bear
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — to get on
  8. clip — for paper
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. march — music
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. march — the month
  14. perch — the fish
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rush — hurry
  17. clip — a video
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. kid — child

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