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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: chair · cap · hand · branch · snap · toast · kick · ruler

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. branch — a division
  3. hand — help
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. hand — in cards
  12. chair — a leader
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. snap — to click
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. kick — in football
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — of ice
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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