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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — a gift
  3. branch — a division
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. band — a music group
  6. charge — in control
  7. swing — in golf
  8. land — ground
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. land — a country
  12. charge — electricity
  13. land — to come down
  14. swing — music
  15. present — there
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. charge — a price
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — happy
  21. swing — to play on
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. band — a ring

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