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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. current — of water
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. clip — for paper
  5. season — in sport
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. clip — to cut
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. vault — a safe
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. stock — goods
  15. season — of the year
  16. current — happening now
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. current — electric
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. branch — a division
  23. clip — a video
  24. branch — of a tree

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