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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. kick — in football
  3. court — for sport
  4. fall — the season
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — boats
  7. court — of a king
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. firm — a company
  11. fall — to drop
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. face — to point toward
  15. firm — decided
  16. face — part of the head
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. face — to confront
  20. fall — to drop
  21. firm — steady
  22. branch — a division
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. branch — of a bank

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