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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. race — a contest
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bass — low music
  10. band — a music group
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. board — a committee
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bass — the fish
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. band — a ring
  18. race — humankind
  19. chest — of your body
  20. clip — to cut
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. board — to get on
  23. clip — a video
  24. chest — a box

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