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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. bound — obliged
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. board — a committee
  6. clip — for paper
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. ground — the earth
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bound — certain
  16. clip — a video
  17. ground — crushed
  18. band — a ring
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. bound — tied together
  21. ground — a position
  22. clip — to cut
  23. racket — for tennis
  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