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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rest — what's left
  3. foot — a measure
  4. march — music
  5. rest — a break
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. march — the month
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. court — for sport
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rest — what's left
  16. court — of law
  17. stock — shares
  18. march — the month
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. stock — goods
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. lean — thin

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