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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mark — a trace
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. land — ground
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rash — a series
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. court — of law
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. mark — a grade

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