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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mug — to rob
  3. rest — a break
  4. court — of a king
  5. scale — in music
  6. mug — a face
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. foot — a measure
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mug — a cup
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. board — a committee
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rest — what's left
  18. board — to get on
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. court — for sport
  21. rest — what's left
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. scale — size or range

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