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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. charge — a price
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bear — the animal
  5. charge — electricity
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bear — the animal
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. charge — in control
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wound — an injury
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wound — an injury
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bowl — to roll

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