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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. court — for sport
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — to get on
  5. firm — decided
  6. toast — bread
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. court — of a king
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. board — a committee
  14. clip — a video
  15. firm — steady
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. firm — a company
  19. scale — size or range
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. clip — for paper
  23. scale — in music
  24. court — of law

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