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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. last — to go on
  6. roll — a cake
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rule — government
  10. present — there
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — a gift
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. last — finally
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. branch — a division
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rule — a law
  20. last — final
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. sharp — with an edge

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