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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 116 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bank — for money
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. swing — to play on
  10. clip — a video
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. swing — music
  13. board — to get on
  14. file — a line of people
  15. board — a committee
  16. pass — a permit
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. swing — in golf
  19. kick — in football
  20. game — a match
  21. bank — of a river
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bank — for money
  24. game — wild animals

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