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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 best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. branch — a division
  4. court — of a king
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. object — an aim
  8. court — of law
  9. object — to protest
  10. ball — a dance
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bulb — for light
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cap — of ice
  18. ball — a great time
  19. shower — rain
  20. object — a thing
  21. cap — a lid
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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