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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mate — a friend
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. present — a gift
  7. bore — to tire
  8. board — a committee
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. present — the time now
  12. board — to get on
  13. mate — a partner
  14. chip — for betting
  15. season — in sport
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. present — there
  18. bore — to drill
  19. mate — to breed
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. chip — to eat
  23. season — of the year
  24. scale — in music

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