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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. clip — a video
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. clip — for paper
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. club — for golf
  7. scale — size or range
  8. game — a match
  9. charge — a price
  10. scale — in music
  11. charge — electricity
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. charge — in control
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. clip — to cut
  17. game — wild animals
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. band — a ring
  23. club — a group
  24. band — a music group

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