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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. clip — to cut
  7. ball — a dance
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ball — a great time
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. branch — a division
  16. chair — a leader
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. board — to get on
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wind — moving air
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. board — a committee

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