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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · plane · board · present · fork · cap · cue · ground

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. board — a committee
  4. ground — crushed
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. clip — a video
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. ground — the earth
  12. present — a gift
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cap — a hat
  15. clip — to cut
  16. cap — a lid
  17. board — to get on
  18. clip — for paper
  19. plane — a tool
  20. cap — of ice
  21. present — the time now
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. present — there
  24. ground — a position

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