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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. hand — in cards
  4. chair — a leader
  5. branch — a division
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. hand — help
  11. mug — to rob
  12. fork — in a road
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mug — a face
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. last — finally
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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