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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. craft — a skill
  3. board — a committee
  4. cap — a lid
  5. swing — music
  6. content — the amount
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cap — of ice
  9. craft — boats
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. content — happy
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. clip — to cut
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. clip — a video
  18. board — to get on
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. swing — in golf
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. cap — a hat
  24. swing — to play on

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