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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. court — for sport
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bore — to drill
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bore — to tire
  16. court — of a king
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bat — the animal
  20. court — of law
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. roll — a list
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. branch — a division

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