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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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bound — obliged
  5. cue — a hint
  6. chair — a leader
  7. branch — a division
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cue — for pool
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bound — certain
  19. row — a line
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bound — tied together
  22. squash — the sport
  23. cue — a signal
  24. branch — of a bank

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