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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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. wind — moving air
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. can — a tin
  11. rash — a series
  12. foot — a measure
  13. wind — moving air
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. court — of law
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. leaves — to go away

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