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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 120 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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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: pit · branch · chair · kid · spell · cabinet · field · fine

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. field — for sport
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pit — a hole
  5. spell — letters
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kid — child
  10. field — farmland
  11. spell — magic
  12. fine — high quality
  13. spell — a short time
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. branch — a division
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. kid — to tease
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. field — a subject
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. fine — all right
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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