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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · ball · rest · saw · march · fan · branch · chest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. ball — a great time
  7. chest — a box
  8. rest — a break
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. march — the month
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rest — what's left
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. ball — a dance
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chest — of your body
  21. branch — a division
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chest — of your body

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