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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. board — a committee
  3. clip — a video
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. staff — employees
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. clip — for paper
  8. staff — employees
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. swing — in golf
  11. board — to get on
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. swing — to play on
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. staff — a stick
  21. swing — music
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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