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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 116 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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bound — obliged
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bound — tied together
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. field — farmland
  11. key — for a lock
  12. field — for sport
  13. snap — to click
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. field — a subject
  16. club — for golf
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. chair — a leader
  19. club — a group
  20. branch — a division
  21. key — in music
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bound — certain
  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