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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. content — the amount
  5. rest — what's left
  6. chair — a leader
  7. content — happy
  8. board — a committee
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. branch — a division
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rest — a break
  17. pop — soda
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. board — to get on
  20. pop — music
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bowl — to roll

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