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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. suit — in cards
  3. chair — a leader
  4. can — to be able to
  5. suit — to fit
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for golf
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. can — a tin
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. root — of a word
  18. suit — clothes
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. root — of a plant
  21. branch — a division
  22. bat — the animal
  23. root — the cause
  24. can — a tin

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