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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. court — of law
  4. date — the fruit
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. tear — from crying
  7. branch — a division
  8. tear — to rip
  9. key — in music
  10. rock — music
  11. court — of a king
  12. key — the most important part
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. court — for sport
  15. swing — to play on
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. swing — in golf
  19. key — for a lock
  20. swing — music
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. rock — a stone

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