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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · pop · march · dip · court · can · branch · bay

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. club — for dancing
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. pop — to visit
  7. march — the month
  8. court — for sport
  9. pop — soda
  10. dip — to sink
  11. march — the month
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. can — a tin
  15. court — of a king
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. court — of law
  18. club — for golf
  19. can — to be able to
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pop — music
  23. can — a tin
  24. club — a group

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