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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. branch — a division
  16. field — farmland
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. field — a subject
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. field — for sport
  22. sharp — clever
  23. vault — a safe
  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