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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mug — a face
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cap — a hat
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. branch — a division
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bound — certain
  14. mug — to rob
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rule — a law
  18. pit — a hole
  19. mug — a cup
  20. kid — child
  21. rule — government
  22. court — of law
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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