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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. net — in sport
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. game — a match
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a cake
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. net — after costs
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mate — a friend
  18. chair — a leader
  19. game — wild animals
  20. net — for catching
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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