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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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Word bank
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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: board · hand · clip · pitch · ruler · bass · game · trunk

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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. ruler — for measuring
  2. hand — help
  3. game — a match
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. board — a committee
  6. clip — to cut
  7. game — wild animals
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bass — low music
  10. board — to get on
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. clip — for paper
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. hand — in cards
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bass — the fish
  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