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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. drill — army training
  3. clip — for paper
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. clip — to cut
  7. spell — letters
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. band — a music group
  11. spell — a short time
  12. board — a committee
  13. drill — the tool
  14. spell — magic
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. drill — a practice
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. clip — a video
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. band — a ring

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