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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. kick — in football
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. court — for sport
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. fine — all right
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. fine — high quality
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king

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