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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. board — a committee
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rest — what's left
  10. clip — to cut
  11. fine — high quality
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. hand — help
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. clip — for paper
  20. fine — all right
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. clip — a video
  23. board — to get on
  24. nail — for a hammer

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