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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. chair — a leader
  3. charge — in control
  4. row — a line
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. key — for a lock
  9. game — a match
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. row — to paddle
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. game — wild animals
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. branch — a division
  24. key — the most important part

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