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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. charge — electricity
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. object — to protest
  8. rash — a series
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. toast — bread
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. charge — in control
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — an aim
  20. clip — a video
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. charge — a price
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fork — a garden tool

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