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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pit — a hole
  3. court — for sport
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. branch — a division
  7. suit — in cards
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. spring — the season
  10. press — to push
  11. perch — the fish
  12. press — newspapers
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. rash — hasty
  16. press — a publisher
  17. suit — clothes
  18. court — of law
  19. pit — in a race
  20. spring — of water
  21. suit — to fit
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rash — a series

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