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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mug — a face
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mug — to rob
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. content — happy
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. chair — a leader
  18. branch — a division
  19. shower — rain
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. cabinet — ministers

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