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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. clip — a video
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — to get on
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. capital — money
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. drill — the tool
  12. capital — a city
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. drill — army training
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. squash — the sport
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rest — what's left
  22. chair — a leader
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. squash — to crush

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