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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. court — of law
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. court — for sport
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pit — in a race
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. branch — a division
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. snap — to click
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pit — a hole
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — a line
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. sharp — clever
  24. court — of a king

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