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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 120 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. squash — the sport
  3. chair — a leader
  4. kid — to tease
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pop — to visit
  8. ball — a dance
  9. squash — to crush
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. fine — high quality
  13. kid — child
  14. ball — a great time
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pop — soda
  17. fine — all right
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pop — music
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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