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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. charge — in control
  4. object — an aim
  5. rest — a break
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. charge — a price
  8. fall — the season
  9. club — for golf
  10. charge — electricity
  11. game — a match
  12. clip — for paper
  13. fall — to drop
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. clip — a video
  16. rest — what's left
  17. clip — to cut
  18. game — wild animals
  19. rest — what's left
  20. branch — a division
  21. club — for dancing
  22. fall — to drop
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. club — a group

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