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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. clip — a video
  4. shower — to wash
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mug — a cup
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. shower — rain
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mug — a face
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mug — to rob
  18. clip — for paper
  19. branch — a division
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — a stone
  22. clip — to cut
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rock — music

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