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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: perch · clip · key · press · board · last · toast · calf

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. last — final
  3. board — a committee
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. last — finally
  6. clip — for paper
  7. key — in music
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. press — newspapers
  10. clip — to cut
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. press — a publisher
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. key — for a lock
  15. last — to go on
  16. press — to push
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. key — the most important part
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. perch — the fish
  22. toast — bread
  23. board — to get on
  24. calf — a young animal

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