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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pop — to visit
  6. land — a country
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. track — a song
  10. foot — a measure
  11. track — a path
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. content — happy
  14. land — to come down
  15. track — to keep track
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. content — the amount
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. land — ground
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. branch — a division
  24. pop — music

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