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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. court — for sport
  4. pit — in a race
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. can — a tin
  10. mark — a grade
  11. court — of law
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. court — of a king
  18. spring — of water
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. spring — the season
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. mark — a trace
  24. branch — a division

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