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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. court — of a king
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. key — the most important part
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. shower — rain
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. cell — a phone
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. key — for a lock
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. key — in music
  15. deal — to handle
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. cell — in biology
  18. foot — a measure
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. court — for sport
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. court — of law

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