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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. clip — for paper
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bank — for money
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. charge — in control
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. season — in sport
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. charge — a price
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. hand — help
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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