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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. net — after costs
  3. court — for sport
  4. march — the month
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. firm — steady
  7. fall — to drop
  8. march — music
  9. firm — decided
  10. bound — certain
  11. fall — the season
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bound — tied together
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. net — in sport
  16. branch — a division
  17. firm — a company
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bound — obliged
  23. net — for catching
  24. march — the month

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