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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mark — a trace
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. march — music
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. march — the month
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. branch — a division
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bear — the animal
  18. clip — for paper
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. march — the month
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. clip — a video

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