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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. roll — a list
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pit — a hole
  11. roll — a cake
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. branch — a division
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. perch — for a bird

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