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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. court — for sport
  6. field — for sport
  7. key — the most important part
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. snap — to click
  12. bass — low music
  13. branch — a division
  14. field — a subject
  15. ball — a dance
  16. key — for a lock
  17. ball — a great time
  18. court — of law
  19. perch — the fish
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. field — farmland
  23. key — in music
  24. bass — the fish

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