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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. pop — music
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fine — high quality
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bat — the animal
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. branch — a division
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fine — all right
  20. hand — help
  21. pop — soda
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chair — a leader

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