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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 116 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rash — a series
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mark — a trace
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. land — ground
  9. rash — hasty
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. track — to keep track
  13. branch — a division
  14. track — a path
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. net — in sport
  18. clip — a video
  19. track — a song
  20. net — for catching
  21. land — a country
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. land — to come down
  24. net — after costs

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