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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. court — of a king
  3. branch — a division
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. court — of law
  10. track — to keep track
  11. toast — bread
  12. row — a line
  13. court — for sport
  14. race — humankind
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. race — a contest
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. race — the arms race
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. track — a path
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. track — a song

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