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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. chest — a box
  3. club — a group
  4. clip — a video
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. charge — a price
  7. content — happy
  8. content — the amount
  9. charge — electricity
  10. board — a committee
  11. lie — to recline
  12. club — for dancing
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. charge — in control
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. chest — of your body
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bat — the animal
  21. club — for golf
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chest — of your body
  24. clip — to cut

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