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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: rule · chest · staff · hide · board · current · straw · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. staff — a stick
  4. board — a committee
  5. current — electric
  6. clip — to cut
  7. chest — a box
  8. rule — government
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. current — of water
  12. chest — of your body
  13. staff — employees
  14. current — happening now
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. clip — for paper
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. staff — employees
  20. board — to get on
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rule — a law
  24. hide — animal skin

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