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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. date — the fruit
  3. rash — a series
  4. court — for sport
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. craft — a skill
  9. court — of law
  10. chair — a leader
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bank — for money
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. plane — a tool
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bank — for money
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. craft — boats
  23. band — a music group
  24. bank — of a river

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