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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mug — to rob
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. mug — a face
  7. march — the month
  8. court — of law
  9. ball — a great time
  10. squash — the sport
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bore — to drill
  14. mug — a cup
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. court — of a king
  18. foot — a measure
  19. ball — a dance
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bore — to tire
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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