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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. board — a committee
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. lean — thin
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lean — to bend
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. board — to get on
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rest — what's left
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. squash — the vegetable

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