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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. clip — a video
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cell — in biology
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bass — low music
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. board — to get on
  14. squash — to crush
  15. plane — a tool
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a document
  18. cell — a phone
  19. file — a line of people
  20. clip — for paper
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. board — a committee
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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