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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. present — a gift
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bound — obliged
  6. land — ground
  7. court — of law
  8. bound — tied together
  9. degree — temperature
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. land — a country
  14. present — there
  15. degree — from a university
  16. land — to come down
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. degree — an amount
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bound — certain
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. present — the time now

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