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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. march — music
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. march — the month
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. branch — a division
  16. rest — a break
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. vault — a safe
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. march — the month

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