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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: toast · bank · last · cell · bulb · arm · march · court

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. last — final
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. court — of law
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. march — the month
  8. bank — for money
  9. march — the month
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bank — for money
  12. cell — a phone
  13. march — music
  14. last — to go on
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. court — of a king
  19. bank — of a river
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. court — for sport
  22. last — finally
  23. toast — bread
  24. bulb — for light

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