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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. clip — a video
  3. face — to point toward
  4. race — the arms race
  5. face — part of the head
  6. land — ground
  7. clip — for paper
  8. race — a contest
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. toast — bread
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. land — a country
  15. pitch — completely
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. land — to come down
  18. race — humankind
  19. face — to confront
  20. branch — a division
  21. lean — thin
  22. clip — to cut
  23. lean — to bend
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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