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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. cue — a signal
  3. clip — a video
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. court — of a king
  8. board — a committee
  9. fine — all right
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. court — for sport
  12. row — a line
  13. board — to get on
  14. court — of law
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cue — a hint
  17. fine — high quality
  18. clip — to cut
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. cue — for pool
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. row — to paddle

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