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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. branch — a division
  5. suit — to fit
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rock — music
  13. lean — to bend
  14. cap — of ice
  15. lean — thin
  16. cap — a hat
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cap — a lid
  19. suit — clothes
  20. rock — a stone
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. suit — in cards
  23. court — of a king
  24. racket — for tennis

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