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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bound — tied together
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. swing — to play on
  6. present — the time now
  7. branch — a division
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bound — certain
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. file — a tool
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. file — a document
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. swing — music
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. present — there
  24. pitcher — a jug

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