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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. branch — a division
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. snap — to click
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. land — to come down
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. court — of law
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. present — a gift
  16. court — for sport
  17. land — a country
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. land — ground
  22. present — there
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. present — the time now

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