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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. kick — in football
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bound — obliged
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — of law
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. wound — an injury
  12. court — for sport
  13. cap — a lid
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bound — certain
  21. cap — a hat
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bound — tied together

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