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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. press — newspapers
  3. branch — a division
  4. club — for golf
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. race — a contest
  7. net — after costs
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. race — the arms race
  13. drill — the tool
  14. net — in sport
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — to handle
  17. club — for dancing
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. drill — a practice
  20. race — humankind
  21. club — a group
  22. chair — a leader
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. net — for catching

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