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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. chair — a leader
  6. face — part of the head
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. face — to confront
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pound — a weight
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. branch — a division
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rash — on the skin

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