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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. court — of a king
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. court — for sport
  6. firm — steady
  7. court — of law
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — low music
  11. field — a subject
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. firm — a company
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. field — for sport
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. field — farmland
  20. firm — decided
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  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