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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stand — to bear
  4. key — in music
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. clip — to cut
  7. key — for a lock
  8. board — to get on
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bass — low music
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. key — the most important part
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. track — a path
  16. cue — a signal
  17. board — a committee
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bass — the fish
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. cue — for pool
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. clip — a video

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