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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. mine — for digging
  4. hand — help
  5. bank — for money
  6. court — of a king
  7. bank — for money
  8. march — the month
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pop — soda
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pop — to visit
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bank — of a river
  15. rule — a law
  16. court — of law
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. pop — music
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mine — an explosive

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