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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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Word bank
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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. net — in sport
  3. board — a committee
  4. degree — an amount
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. degree — temperature
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. net — for catching
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. net — after costs
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. degree — from a university
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. chair — a leader
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. board — to get on
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. row — a line
  23. clip — to cut
  24. row — a quarrel

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