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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  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. safe — a strongbox
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. object — an aim
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stock — goods
  7. clip — a video
  8. stock — shares
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. object — a thing
  11. capital — a city
  12. ball — a dance
  13. capital — money
  14. wind — moving air
  15. object — to protest
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. clip — for paper
  23. branch — a division
  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