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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. board — to get on
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. clip — a video
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. board — a committee
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. jam — in traffic

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