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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. court — of law
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rash — a series
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. lie — to recline
  16. rash — hasty
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wound — an injury
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. court — for sport
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. scale — in music
  24. branch — a division

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