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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. swing — in golf
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. net — for catching
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. swing — to play on
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. swing — music
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. fall — to drop
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. net — in sport
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. net — after costs
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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