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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. craft — boats
  5. content — the amount
  6. lean — to bend
  7. ground — crushed
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. court — of law
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. ground — the earth
  13. court — for sport
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. pitch — completely
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. ground — a position
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. craft — a skill
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. content — happy
  22. branch — a division
  23. lean — thin
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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