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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. sharp — clever
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. board — a committee
  12. mate — to breed
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. board — to get on
  23. branch — a division
  24. board — a flat piece

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