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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. court — of law
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ground — crushed
  5. can — to be able to
  6. object — a thing
  7. press — to push
  8. march — the month
  9. press — a publisher
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. ground — a position
  12. object — an aim
  13. march — the month
  14. can — a tin
  15. court — for sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. object — to protest
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. can — a tin
  20. branch — a division
  21. press — newspapers
  22. court — of a king
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. ground — the earth

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