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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 116 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. field — for sport
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — newspapers
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. branch — a division
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pass — a permit
  10. sharp — clever
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. press — to push
  13. field — farmland
  14. squash — the sport
  15. last — final
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. last — finally
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. field — a subject
  22. chair — a leader
  23. last — to go on
  24. sharp — with an edge

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