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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. object — to protest
  3. charge — electricity
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. track — to keep track
  6. branch — a division
  7. charge — in control
  8. file — a document
  9. hand — help
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. file — a line of people
  12. object — a thing
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. file — a tool
  18. track — a song
  19. hand — in cards
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — a safe
  22. charge — a price
  23. object — an aim
  24. track — a path

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