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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. branch — a division
  3. last — to go on
  4. track — a path
  5. track — a song
  6. present — there
  7. present — a gift
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. last — final
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. foot — a measure
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. last — finally
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. season — in sport
  19. present — the time now
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. chair — a leader
  23. track — to keep track
  24. branch — of a bank

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