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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. clip — to cut
  3. club — for golf
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. clip — a video
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wind — moving air
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bound — obliged
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. board — a committee
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bound — tied together
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bound — certain
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wind — moving air
  23. club — a group
  24. board — to get 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