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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. clip — a video
  5. bank — for money
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. board — a committee
  11. bear — the animal
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. board — to get on
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bat — for baseball

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