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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pitch — completely
  6. row — to paddle
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. row — a line
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rush — hurry
  20. branch — a division
  21. toast — bread
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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