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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. roll — a cake
  3. rule — a law
  4. ground — a position
  5. bound — certain
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. chair — a leader
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. branch — a division
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. roll — a list
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rule — government

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