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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. clip — for paper
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. rest — what's left
  5. tear — from crying
  6. degree — temperature
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rest — what's left
  9. clip — a video
  10. board — a committee
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. degree — from a university
  14. spell — a short time
  15. face — to confront
  16. spell — magic
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rest — a break
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. spell — letters
  21. face — part of the head
  22. tear — from crying
  23. clip — to cut
  24. tear — to rip

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