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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. squash — to crush
  3. season — of the year
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lie — to recline
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. court — for sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. march — the month
  14. bulb — for light
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bulb — for light
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. season — in sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. march — the month
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. march — music

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