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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. kick — in football
  4. clip — a video
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. board — to get on
  7. clip — to cut
  8. mark — a trace
  9. capital — money
  10. bound — certain
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. mark — a grade
  13. capital — a city
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. clip — for paper
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. board — a committee
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bound — obliged

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