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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. cell — in biology
  4. row — to paddle
  5. court — of a king
  6. branch — a division
  7. band — a ring
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. court — of law
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. ball — a dance
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. lie — to recline
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cell — a phone
  20. court — for sport
  21. row — a line
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. band — a music group
  24. jam — a tight spot

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