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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: board · hide · cabinet · wind · fine · clip · bat · cap

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wind — moving air
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. clip — a video
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. board — to get on
  16. wind — moving air
  17. board — a committee
  18. fine — all right
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cap — a lid
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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