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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. stock — goods
  5. court — of a king
  6. firm — decided
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. firm — a company
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. court — of law
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. perch — the fish
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. roll — a list
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. stock — shares
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bound — obliged
  23. firm — steady
  24. branch — a division

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