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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. branch — a division
  5. bound — certain
  6. can — a tin
  7. land — a country
  8. court — for sport
  9. wind — moving air
  10. can — to be able to
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wind — moving air
  15. court — of a king
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. land — to come down
  18. ground — a position
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. pit — in a race
  21. can — a tin
  22. land — ground
  23. bound — obliged
  24. ground — crushed

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