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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. game — wild animals
  7. charge — electricity
  8. branch — a division
  9. ball — a great time
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. field — a subject
  14. clip — for paper
  15. game — a match
  16. charge — in control
  17. clip — a video
  18. field — for sport
  19. charge — a price
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. clip — to cut
  23. staff — a stick
  24. field — farmland

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