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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 124 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. season — in sport
  3. bound — obliged
  4. row — a line
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. court — of law
  7. branch — a division
  8. season — of the year
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — for sport
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bound — certain
  21. date — the fruit
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. row — to paddle

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