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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 partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. present — a gift
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. chip — for betting
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mark — a trace
  14. clip — a video
  15. branch — a division
  16. chip — to eat
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. present — the time now
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. content — videos and posts

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