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

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. firm — decided
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spell — a short time
  6. court — for sport
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — a company
  11. fall — the season
  12. wake — a trail
  13. chair — a leader
  14. spell — magic
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. court — of a king
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. spell — letters
  23. branch — a division
  24. fall — to drop

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