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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. sharp — clever
  3. clip — to cut
  4. land — to come down
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. kick — in football
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pit — a hole
  12. fall — to drop
  13. land — a country
  14. fall — to drop
  15. land — ground
  16. fall — the season
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. clip — a video
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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