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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mark — a grade
  3. clip — a video
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. branch — a division
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. court — of a king
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. court — of law
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. pitch — completely
  24. court — for sport

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