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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 116 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. band — a ring
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. content — the amount
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. march — music
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pound — a weight
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. board — a committee
  14. band — a music group
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. board — to get on
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — happy
  19. march — the month
  20. clip — to cut
  21. march — the month
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. clip — for paper

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