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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. field — a subject
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chair — a leader
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — rain
  10. field — farmland
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. deal — to handle
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. branch — a division

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