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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. current — happening now
  3. clip — for paper
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. current — electric
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rule — a law
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rule — government
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. current — of water
  17. press — a publisher
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. ball — a dance
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  24. temple — side of the head

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