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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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. court — of a king
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. branch — a division
  9. swing — to play on
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. court — of law
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. stock — shares
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bound — obliged
  17. swing — music
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. court — for sport
  20. stock — goods
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. swing — in golf
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bound — tied together

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