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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. court — of a king
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. land — ground
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. court — of law
  16. can — a tin
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. can — a tin
  22. land — a country
  23. court — for sport
  24. branch — a division

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