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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. clip — to cut
  3. court — of a king
  4. bank — of a river
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bank — for money
  7. clip — a video
  8. court — of law
  9. march — the month
  10. object — to protest
  11. bass — the fish
  12. march — the month
  13. clip — for paper
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. object — a thing
  16. court — for sport
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bank — for money
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. object — an aim
  21. scale — in music
  22. march — music
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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