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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wake — a trail
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bore — to drill
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. court — of law
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. chair — a leader
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bound — obliged
  20. branch — a division
  21. bound — certain
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. bore — to tire

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