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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. present — there
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. net — for catching
  19. branch — a division
  20. present — a gift
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. game — a match
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. present — the time now

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