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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rest — what's left
  5. net — for catching
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. net — in sport
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. branch — a division
  11. net — after costs
  12. firm — a company
  13. rest — what's left
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. firm — steady
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rest — a break
  18. firm — decided

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