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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: rash · clip · calf · key · chair · branch · mark · file

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. rash — a series
  4. key — in music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mark — a grade
  8. clip — to cut
  9. branch — a division
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rash — hasty
  14. key — the most important part
  15. file — a line of people
  16. clip — a video
  17. file — a tool
  18. key — for a lock
  19. chair — a leader
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. file — a document
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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