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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. band — a ring
  3. pop — music
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. face — to confront
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. band — a music group
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. board — a committee
  14. pop — to visit
  15. board — to get on
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pop — soda
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. face — to point toward

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