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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 116 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 · march · club · chair · branch · key · board · degree

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. march — the month
  6. deal — to handle
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. club — for dancing
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. key — for a lock
  11. chair — a leader
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. branch — a division
  15. key — the most important part
  16. degree — from a university
  17. board — to get on
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. key — in music
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. board — a committee

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