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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 120 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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. chip — to eat
  3. vault — a safe
  4. cold — not warm
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. board — to get on
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bass — low music
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. clip — a video
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. clip — for paper
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cold — an illness
  23. board — a committee
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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