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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. file — a tool
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. file — a line of people
  9. spell — a short time
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. file — a document
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. pit — a hole
  21. lie — to recline
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. march — the month
  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