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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rest — what's left
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. mine — for digging
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. rest — what's left
  17. chair — a leader
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. rest — a break
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mark — a trace
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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