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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pop — soda
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pop — music
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — electricity
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. charge — a price

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