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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. firm — a company
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — in control
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bound — obliged
  9. charge — electricity
  10. file — a tool
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. firm — decided
  13. bound — certain
  14. firm — steady
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. file — a document
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bound — tied together
  20. file — a line of people
  21. clip — a video
  22. branch — a division
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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