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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cue — for pool
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. field — farmland
  15. cue — a hint
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. field — a subject
  20. cue — a signal
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — a cake
  24. branch — a division

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