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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. charge — in control
  3. branch — a division
  4. ground — the earth
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. charge — electricity
  7. hand — help
  8. charge — a price
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. can — a tin
  11. vault — a safe
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. can — to be able to
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — to tire
  23. clip — to cut
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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