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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. chair — a leader
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. squash — to crush
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. fine — high quality
  7. stock — shares
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. present — the time now
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stock — goods
  18. squash — the sport
  19. present — a gift
  20. row — to paddle
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fine — all right
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. present — there

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