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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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. spell — letters
  5. kick — in football
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. dip — to sink
  8. branch — a division
  9. court — for sport
  10. spell — a short time
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. spell — magic
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. court — of a king
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. rock — music
  22. court — of law
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. chair — a leader

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