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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wind — moving air
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. branch — a division
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wind — moving air
  9. dip — to sink
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. toast — bread
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. game — a match
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. branch — of a bank

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