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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. clip — for paper
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. court — of law
  5. toast — bread
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. swing — music
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. court — of a king
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. spell — letters
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. branch — a division
  15. swing — in golf
  16. clip — a video
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. court — for sport
  19. spell — magic
  20. swing — to play on
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. branch — of a tree

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