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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. mine — for digging
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. firm — steady
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. clip — a video
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. clip — to cut
  10. march — music
  11. tube — the underground
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. clip — for paper
  15. march — the month
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — decided
  19. board — a committee
  20. march — the month
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. board — to get on
  23. tube — a container
  24. mine — an explosive

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