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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. net — for catching
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. last — to go on
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cue — a hint
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. net — after costs
  10. cue — a signal
  11. degree — temperature
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. last — finally
  14. degree — an amount
  15. chair — a leader
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. date — the fruit
  18. cue — for pool
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. net — in sport
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. last — final
  23. branch — a division
  24. degree — from a university

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