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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. court — of a king
  3. bound — certain
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. branch — a division
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wake — a trail
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. track — a path
  10. track — a song
  11. bound — tied together
  12. court — for sport
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. club — for golf
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. track — to keep track
  19. court — of law
  20. bound — obliged
  21. club — a group
  22. cap — of ice
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cap — a lid

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