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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 124 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. court — of a king
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. court — of law
  7. march — the month
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. march — music
  15. toast — bread
  16. cell — a phone
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. rush — hurry
  21. foot — a measure
  22. march — the month
  23. court — for sport
  24. fork — in a road

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