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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 120 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. branch — a division
  4. spring — of water
  5. fork — in a road
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — final
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. spring — a coil
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. last — finally
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. lie — to recline
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. ball — a dance
  20. spring — the season
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chair — a leader
  23. ball — a great time
  24. fork — a garden tool

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