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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 120 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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. branch — a division
  3. club — for golf
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. court — of a king
  6. march — the month
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. club — a group
  9. court — of law
  10. rush — hurry
  11. march — music
  12. pit — a hole
  13. rock — music
  14. club — for dancing
  15. fork — in a road
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pit — in a race
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. rock — a stone
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. march — the month
  24. fork — a garden 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