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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pop — to visit
  3. march — music
  4. band — a ring
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. board — a committee
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. band — a music group
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. hand — help
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pop — soda
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. board — to get on
  18. fine — all right
  19. clip — to cut
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pop — music
  22. clip — for paper
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. board — a flat piece

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