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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. board — to get on
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. clip — to cut
  10. band — a music group
  11. roll — a list
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. band — a ring
  14. clip — for paper
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. toast — bread
  19. board — a committee
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wound — an injury
  24. clip — a video

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