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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rest — what's left
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rest — what's left
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rest — a break
  16. kid — child
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bound — certain
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. kid — to tease
  23. branch — a division
  24. chair — a professorship

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