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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 116 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. field — a subject
  3. fall — the season
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fall — to drop
  8. court — for sport
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. field — farmland
  13. fall — to drop
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. charge — in control
  18. court — of law
  19. field — for sport
  20. branch — a division
  21. drill — the tool
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — electricity

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