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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · bass · roll · rule · clip · deal · cabinet · board

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rule — a law
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. board — a committee
  11. roll — a list
  12. clip — a video
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bass — the fish
  19. clip — for paper
  20. board — to get on
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rule — government
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. board — a flat piece

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