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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. shower — rain
  3. craft — a skill
  4. court — of law
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. fine — high quality
  8. court — of a king
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. shower — to wash
  19. craft — boats
  20. march — the month
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. branch — a division
  24. fine — all right

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