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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. mate — a friend
  4. fork — in a road
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. board — to get on
  9. fall — to drop
  10. saw — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mate — a partner
  15. clip — for paper
  16. saw — the tool
  17. board — a committee
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. fall — to drop
  21. clip — a video
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. fall — the season

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