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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. court — of law
  3. last — finally
  4. file — a document
  5. court — of a king
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. file — a tool
  10. ball — a dance
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. last — to go on
  14. court — for sport
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. file — a line of people
  18. face — to confront
  19. present — there
  20. ball — a great time
  21. perch — the fish
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. branch — a division

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