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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. date — the fruit
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. chair — a leader
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. track — to keep track
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. toast — bread
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. track — a path

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