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

Word bank: bat · branch · cap · arm · chair · toast · key · present

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cap — of ice
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bat — the animal
  9. present — the time now
  10. key — for a lock
  11. branch — a division
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. key — the most important part
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. toast — bread
  16. chair — a leader
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — there
  21. cap — a hat
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. cap — a lid
  24. key — in music

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