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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. ground — a position
  3. branch — a division
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. last — final
  7. bass — low music
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. court — for sport
  17. date — the fruit
  18. court — of a king
  19. ground — the earth
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ground — crushed
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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