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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bank — for money
  3. last — final
  4. pit — a hole
  5. court — of a king
  6. bank — for money
  7. pit — in a race
  8. last — to go on
  9. club — for golf
  10. last — finally
  11. fall — the season
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fall — to drop
  14. club — for dancing
  15. can — to be able to
  16. club — a group
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. branch — a division
  20. court — of law
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bank — of a river
  23. fall — to drop
  24. court — for sport

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