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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: foot · suit · board · sharp · cell · clip · race · wind

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. cell — in biology
  3. race — a contest
  4. wind — moving air
  5. clip — a video
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — a phone
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. wind — moving air
  10. board — a committee
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. board — to get on
  15. suit — clothes
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. foot — a measure
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. suit — in cards
  24. wind — to turn a key

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