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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. track — to keep track
  6. net — for catching
  7. lie — to recline
  8. rush — hurry
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pop — soda
  11. net — after costs
  12. track — a path
  13. net — in sport
  14. track — a song
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. stand — to bear
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. lie — an untruth

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