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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. board — to get on
  4. key — for a lock
  5. board — a committee
  6. bound — certain
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. key — the most important part
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. branch — a division
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. clip — to cut
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. clip — a video
  15. key — in music
  16. charge — electricity
  17. bear — the animal
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. clip — for paper
  20. charge — in control
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bound — obliged

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