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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. march — the month
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. field — for sport
  6. fine — high quality
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chair — a leader
  11. branch — a division
  12. march — music
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. fine — all right
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. field — a subject
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. key — the most important part
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. field — farmland
  24. march — the month

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