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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. face — to confront
  3. can — a tin
  4. face — part of the head
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. pop — music
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. can — a tin
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. face — to point toward
  16. clip — a video
  17. board — a committee
  18. chair — a leader
  19. clip — for paper
  20. board — to get on
  21. clip — to cut
  22. row — a line
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pop — soda

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