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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · bowl · charge · bank · calf · present · rest · clip

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bank — for money
  3. charge — a price
  4. clip — for paper
  5. present — there
  6. present — a gift
  7. rest — a break
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. rest — what's left
  14. present — the time now
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — to cut
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. charge — in control
  19. bank — of a river
  20. charge — electricity
  21. rest — what's left
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bank — for money
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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