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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. clip — a video
  3. charge — a price
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. charge — electricity
  6. clip — for paper
  7. kick — in football
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. race — the arms race
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. race — a contest
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. charge — in control
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — a division
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. race — humankind
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — happy
  24. clip — to cut

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