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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 116 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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cap — a hat
  4. court — of a king
  5. cap — of ice
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wound — an injury
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. band — a ring
  10. branch — a division
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. band — a music group
  13. club — for golf
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wound — an injury
  16. court — of law
  17. club — a group
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cap — a lid
  22. rest — a break
  23. club — for dancing
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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