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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. object — an aim
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. chair — a leader
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. object — a thing
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. land — to come down
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. land — a country
  18. object — to protest
  19. row — a line
  20. land — ground
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. row — to paddle

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