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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  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. present — a gift
  2. clip — for paper
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pitch — completely
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. clip — a video
  8. mate — to breed
  9. ball — a dance
  10. board — to get on
  11. ball — a great time
  12. kick — in football
  13. last — final
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — there
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. last — to go on
  18. mate — a partner
  19. last — finally
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. clip — to cut
  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