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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rash — a series
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. branch — a division
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rash — hasty
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. clip — to cut
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. branch — of a bank

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