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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. track — a song
  6. court — of law
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bound — certain
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bound — tied together
  12. track — to keep track
  13. lie — to recline
  14. branch — a division
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. court — of a king
  19. bound — obliged
  20. court — for sport
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. lie — an untruth

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