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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. press — to push
  3. chair — a leader
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. branch — a division
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. club — for dancing
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. club — for golf
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. hand — in cards
  17. club — a group
  18. hand — help
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mark — a trace
  24. hand — part of the body

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