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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. board — to get on
  4. clip — for paper
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. clip — a video
  12. wind — moving air
  13. board — a committee
  14. wind — moving air
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. drill — army training
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. clip — to cut

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