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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. clip — to cut
  3. board — to get on
  4. mug — to rob
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. clip — for paper
  8. file — a document
  9. mug — a cup
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. file — a line of people
  12. present — there
  13. present — a gift
  14. net — for catching
  15. clip — a video
  16. file — a tool
  17. net — after costs
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. mug — a face
  20. present — the time now
  21. board — a committee
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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