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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bass — low music
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. firm — a company
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pit — a hole
  8. shower — rain
  9. board — a committee
  10. march — music
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. clip — for paper
  13. firm — steady
  14. board — to get on
  15. clip — a video
  16. march — the month
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. pit — in a race
  21. firm — decided
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. march — the month

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