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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. clip — a video
  4. race — humankind
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pop — to visit
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. band — a ring
  9. season — in sport
  10. race — the arms race
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. pop — music
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pop — soda
  18. band — a music group
  19. season — of the year
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. clip — for paper
  22. race — a contest
  23. deal — to handle
  24. clip — to cut

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