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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. track — to keep track
  3. court — of a king
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. object — an aim
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. object — to protest
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. cold — not warm
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. court — of law
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. court — for sport
  18. cold — an illness

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