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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 116 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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wound — an injury
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wound — an injury
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. scale — size or range
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. board — a committee
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. branch — a division
  13. board — to get on
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rash — hasty
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rash — a series
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. sharp — with an edge

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