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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. vault — a safe
  3. board — to get on
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mate — to breed
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a line
  8. root — of a plant
  9. board — a committee
  10. root — the cause
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mate — a partner
  15. can — a tin
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mate — a friend
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. can — to be able to
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. can — a tin
  22. clip — for paper
  23. root — of a word
  24. clip — a video

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