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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cap — a lid
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. mate — a friend
  8. clip — a video
  9. band — a ring
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. band — a music group
  13. board — a committee
  14. mate — a partner
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cap — of ice
  17. mate — to breed
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. board — to get on
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wind — moving air

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