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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. court — of a king
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — in a race
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. deal — to handle
  9. last — finally
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. court — for sport
  14. last — final
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. file — a line of people
  17. last — to go on
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. court — of law
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. file — a tool

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