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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 · bass · current · clip · cabinet · band · chip · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. band — a music group
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. file — a document
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. chip — to eat
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bass — low music
  13. clip — to cut
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. current — electric
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bass — the fish
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. band — a ring
  23. file — a tool
  24. cabinet — ministers

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