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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. foot — a measure
  3. court — of law
  4. mug — a face
  5. vault — a safe
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. fall — to drop
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. capital — a city
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mug — to rob
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. capital — money
  19. branch — a division
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. chair — a leader
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. capital — a big letter

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