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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. ball — a great time
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. board — to get on
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. clip — a video
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. clip — for paper
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pit — in a race
  17. clip — to cut
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. board — a committee
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pit — a hole
  24. racket — for tennis

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