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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 124 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rock — music
  6. pit — a hole
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fine — all right
  12. band — a music group
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. branch — a division
  18. pit — in a race
  19. clip — a video
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rock — a stone
  24. kick — in football

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