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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. band — a ring
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. clip — to cut
  11. suit — clothes
  12. pop — soda
  13. squash — to crush
  14. band — a music group
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. clip — a video
  20. suit — to fit
  21. chip — to eat
  22. squash — the sport
  23. chip — for betting
  24. suit — in cards

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