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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 currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. rush — hurry
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pound — a weight
  9. board — to get on
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. plane — a tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. game — a match
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rush — a thrill

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