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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. root — of a word
  5. clip — a video
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. board — a committee
  12. rash — a series
  13. board — to get on
  14. clip — to cut
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. root — of a plant
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rash — hasty
  24. root — the cause

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