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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. perch — the fish
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — government
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. track — to keep track
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. stock — goods
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. track — a song
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. track — a path
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. stock — shares
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. branch — a division
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. sharp — clever

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