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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. toast — bread
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. charge — electricity
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. fork — in a road
  8. mine — for digging
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — a price
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. chair — a leader
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. branch — a division

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