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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cue — for pool
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rest — what's left
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. cue — a hint
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. hand — help
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. branch — a division
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. court — for sport
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. cue — a signal
  20. court — of a king
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rest — a break
  23. date — the fruit
  24. court — of law

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