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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. march — the month
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. press — newspapers
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. board — to get on
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. march — the month
  18. press — a publisher
  19. march — music
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. board — a committee
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. clip — a video
  24. press — to push

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