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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. board — a committee
  4. saw — the tool
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. perch — the fish
  8. clip — a video
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. cap — a lid
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. row — to paddle
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. cap — of ice
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. cap — a hat
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. row — a line
  24. board — to get on

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