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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cue — a signal
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. present — there
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. stock — shares
  8. season — in sport
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cap — a hat
  11. stock — goods
  12. cap — a lid
  13. staff — employees
  14. present — the time now
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cap — of ice
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. present — a gift
  20. season — of the year
  21. branch — a division
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. cue — a hint

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