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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. game — a match
  3. fine — high quality
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. clip — a video
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. branch — a division
  12. game — wild animals
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fine — all right
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. clip — for paper

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