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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. board — a committee
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. net — after costs
  8. rule — a law
  9. staff — employees
  10. chair — a leader
  11. staff — a stick
  12. kick — in football
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. root — the cause
  15. staff — employees
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. board — to get on
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rule — government
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — of a word
  22. net — for catching
  23. clip — for paper
  24. net — in sport

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