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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. branch — a division
  3. pop — music
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. march — music
  7. face — to point toward
  8. march — the month
  9. court — for sport
  10. pop — soda
  11. fine — all right
  12. face — part of the head
  13. march — the month
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. face — to confront
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. fine — high quality
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pop — to visit
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. branch — of a bank

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