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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. court — of a king
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. stand — to bear
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. key — in music
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. key — for a lock
  9. branch — a division
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. court — for sport
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. tube — the underground
  19. court — of law
  20. tube — a container
  21. toast — bread
  22. cold — an illness
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cold — the Cold War

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