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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. court — of a king
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. court — of law
  6. mug — a face
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. mug — a cup
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cell — a phone
  16. branch — a division
  17. court — for sport
  18. cue — a signal
  19. game — wild animals
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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