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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pitch — completely
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. tube — the underground
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. plane — a tool
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. tube — a container
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — to cut
  20. squash — to crush
  21. clip — a video
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. band — a ring
  24. pitch — a sports field

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