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

Word bank: clip · fall · ball · chip · board · roll · leaves · season

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. fall — the season
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. season — of the year
  5. roll — a list
  6. clip — a video
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. season — in sport
  11. board — a committee
  12. roll — a cake
  13. clip — for paper
  14. chip — for betting
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. ball — a great time
  17. chip — to eat
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. clip — to cut
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. chip — in a computer

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