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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. clip — to cut
  3. swing — in golf
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. band — a music group
  6. scale — size or range
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. clip — for paper
  9. scale — in music
  10. swing — music
  11. board — to get on
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tube — a container
  15. band — a ring
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. swing — to play on
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. clip — a video
  24. lie — to recline

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