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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. last — final
  3. court — for sport
  4. last — finally
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. branch — a division
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. court — of law
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. drill — army training
  12. content — the amount
  13. drill — a practice
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. drill — the tool
  16. stand — to bear
  17. content — happy
  18. court — of a king
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — to rob
  22. dip — to sink
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. last — to go on

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