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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. court — of a king
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cap — a hat
  9. branch — a division
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bear — the animal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. cap — of ice
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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