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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: chest · row · racket · clip · date · firm · roll · board

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. board — to get on
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. chest — of your body
  7. firm — a company
  8. row — to paddle
  9. clip — to cut
  10. firm — decided
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. clip — for paper
  15. firm — steady
  16. chest — a box
  17. roll — a list
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. roll — a cake
  21. board — a committee
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. chest — of your body
  24. row — a line

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