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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. clip — a video
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bear — the animal
  11. board — to get on
  12. band — a music group
  13. bat — the animal
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bear — the animal
  17. toast — bread
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. clip — for paper
  23. board — a committee
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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