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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: deal · net · race · snap · branch · chair · scale · board

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. net — in sport
  3. branch — a division
  4. race — the arms race
  5. net — for catching
  6. board — a committee
  7. net — after costs
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. snap — to click
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. chair — a leader
  12. board — to get on
  13. race — humankind
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. race — a contest

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