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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. track — to keep track
  9. kick — in football
  10. date — the fruit
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. roll — a list
  13. chair — a leader
  14. roll — a cake
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. track — a song
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. track — a path
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. branch — a division

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