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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: rule · suit · chest · chair · branch · row · season · kid

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. suit — in cards
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chest — a box
  6. rule — government
  7. row — to paddle
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. suit — clothes
  11. rule — a law
  12. suit — to fit
  13. kid — to tease
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. row — a line
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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