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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. charge — in control
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. chair — a leader
  6. land — ground
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. band — a music group
  10. mate — to breed
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. land — a country
  13. band — a ring
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mate — a partner
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. kid — child
  21. land — to come down
  22. mate — a friend
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. kid — to tease

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