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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. board — to get on
  7. clip — a video
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. craft — boats
  11. field — farmland
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. board — a committee
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. clip — to cut
  18. cell — in biology
  19. field — for sport
  20. craft — a skill
  21. lie — to recline
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. field — a subject
  24. cell — a phone

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