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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · capital · court · rush · saw · cell · mate · board

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. board — a committee
  6. rush — hurry
  7. court — of law
  8. clip — a video
  9. board — to get on
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. capital — a city
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. court — for sport
  20. cell — a phone
  21. capital — money
  22. court — of a king
  23. mate — a partner
  24. clip — to cut

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