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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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stock — shares
  5. swing — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. pop — soda
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — boats
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. track — a song
  13. pop — music
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. branch — a division
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bat — the animal
  22. track — a path
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. track — to keep track

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