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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. clip — for paper
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. swing — to play on
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. last — final
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. board — a committee
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. squash — the sport
  13. swing — in golf
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. swing — music
  16. last — to go on
  17. bass — low music
  18. lie — to recline
  19. board — to get on
  20. last — finally
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bass — the fish
  23. branch — a division
  24. squash — to crush

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