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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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. perch — for a bird
  4. chair — a leader
  5. object — an aim
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. mate — a friend
  11. season — in sport
  12. board — a committee
  13. mate — a partner
  14. perch — the fish
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. object — a thing
  19. mate — to breed
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. dip — to sink
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. object — to protest
  24. season — of the year

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