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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. rest — what's left
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rest — what's left
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. swing — to play on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. plane — a tool
  15. clip — a video
  16. rest — a break
  17. board — to get on
  18. swing — music
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. swing — in golf
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. board — a committee
  23. snap — to click
  24. spell — magic

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