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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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. ground — a position
  4. clip — a video
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — in cards
  8. last — final
  9. board — a committee
  10. ground — the earth
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. foot — a measure
  13. degree — from a university
  14. clip — to cut
  15. dip — to sink
  16. ground — crushed
  17. suit — to fit
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. degree — temperature
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. degree — an amount
  24. board — a flat piece

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