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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. chip — to eat
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. clip — to cut
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bank — of a river
  9. season — in sport
  10. bank — for money
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. season — of the year
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. clip — a video
  21. bank — for money
  22. board — to get on
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pitcher — a jug

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