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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: current · pit · rule · swing · clip · content · branch · bowl

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rule — government
  4. clip — a video
  5. current — of water
  6. swing — to play on
  7. pit — in a race
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. swing — music
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. current — electric
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. branch — a division
  18. current — happening now
  19. clip — for paper
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. content — the amount
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. swing — in golf
  24. content — happy

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