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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. press — to push
  4. chair — a leader
  5. press — a publisher
  6. file — a tool
  7. swing — music
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a skill
  12. cue — for pool
  13. file — a document
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cue — a signal
  22. press — newspapers
  23. branch — a division
  24. craft — a handicraft

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