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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. track — a song
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. branch — a division
  8. board — to get on
  9. court — of a king
  10. fine — high quality
  11. track — a path
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. court — for sport
  16. fine — all right
  17. court — of law
  18. degree — temperature
  19. track — to keep track
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. degree — an amount
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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