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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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. race — a contest
  2. current — electric
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. race — the arms race
  6. clip — for paper
  7. chest — a box
  8. current — of water
  9. court — for sport
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. current — happening now
  12. can — a tin
  13. bulb — for light
  14. court — of law
  15. branch — a division
  16. bulb — for light
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. race — humankind
  19. chest — of your body
  20. court — of a king
  21. chest — of your body
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  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