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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rush — hurry
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. mine — for digging
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bore — to tire
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. suit — clothes
  13. branch — a division
  14. suit — to fit
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. capital — money
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. capital — a city
  24. suit — in cards

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