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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pop — to visit
  10. clip — a video
  11. pop — soda
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bore — to drill
  14. pop — music
  15. board — to get on
  16. bore — to tire
  17. clip — to cut
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. cell — in biology
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cap — of ice

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