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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. drill — a practice
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. ball — a great time
  6. drill — the tool
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. clip — a video
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. clip — for paper
  11. scale — size or range
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ball — a dance
  14. clip — to cut
  15. drill — army training
  16. mate — a partner
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. board — to get on
  21. scale — in music
  22. board — a committee
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. row — a line

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