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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. board — a committee
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pop — to visit
  6. degree — from a university
  7. saw — the tool
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. clip — a video
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pop — music
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. degree — an amount
  18. clip — for paper
  19. board — to get on
  20. clip — to cut
  21. club — a group
  22. pop — soda
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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