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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. object — an aim
  5. board — to get on
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mine — for digging
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. clip — for paper
  10. lie — to recline
  11. clip — to cut
  12. capital — money
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. object — a thing
  19. capital — a city
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. clip — a video
  22. object — to protest
  23. board — a committee
  24. hide — to keep secret

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