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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bound — tied together
  3. charge — a price
  4. net — for catching
  5. charge — electricity
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pit — a hole
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. charge — in control
  15. pit — in a race
  16. net — in sport
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. ball — a dance
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. chair — a leader
  22. net — after costs
  23. bound — certain
  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