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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. branch — a division
  3. charge — in control
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. chair — a leader
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. land — to come down
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. charge — a price
  12. saw — the tool
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. saw — the tool
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. foot — a measure
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. charge — electricity
  22. court — of a king
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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