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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. clip — for paper
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. clip — a video
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. row — a line
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. charge — a price
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. charge — in control
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. clip — to cut
  24. face — to confront

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