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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. current — happening now
  2. game — wild animals
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cap — of ice
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. track — a path
  11. board — a committee
  12. current — of water
  13. track — to keep track
  14. clip — a video
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. track — a song
  18. cap — a hat
  19. current — electric
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cap — a lid
  22. game — a match
  23. board — to get on
  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