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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. march — the month
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. mate — a friend
  8. march — the month
  9. sharp — clever
  10. court — for sport
  11. branch — a division
  12. mate — to breed
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. march — music
  18. mate — a partner
  19. deal — to handle
  20. land — to come down
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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