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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. court — of a king
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. court — for sport
  6. snap — to click
  7. court — of law
  8. kid — child
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. track — to keep track
  13. degree — from a university
  14. track — a path
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. branch — a division
  19. degree — an amount
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. track — a song
  23. kid — to tease
  24. sharp — clever

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