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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. lean — to rest against
  2. band — a music group
  3. lean — thin
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wake — a trail
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. clip — to cut
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. clip — for paper
  18. band — a ring
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. board — a committee
  23. lean — to bend
  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