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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. roll — a list
  2. fine — all right
  3. ball — a great time
  4. clip — for paper
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. can — a tin
  8. clip — to cut
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. band — a ring
  11. face — part of the head
  12. board — a committee
  13. can — to be able to
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a music group
  16. face — to confront
  17. can — a tin
  18. board — to get on
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fine — high quality
  21. roll — a cake
  22. ball — a dance
  23. face — to point toward
  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