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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. court — of a king
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. cold — an illness
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. cold — not warm
  14. court — of law
  15. mine — for digging
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. fine — all right
  20. court — for sport
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. key — the most important part

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