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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. net — in sport
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. staff — a stick
  10. net — after costs
  11. bore — to tire
  12. branch — a division
  13. ground — a position
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. staff — employees
  16. hand — help
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. net — for catching
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. bore — to drill
  23. staff — employees
  24. hand — in cards

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