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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. court — of a king
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bass — the fish
  10. court — of law
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. bass — low music
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bank — for money
  20. net — after costs
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bank — for money

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