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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 116 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. spell — letters
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. spell — magic
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. staff — employees
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. court — of law
  15. branch — a division
  16. staff — employees
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. row — a line
  19. court — for sport
  20. scale — in music
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. staff — a stick
  23. court — of a king
  24. spell — a short time

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