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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. can — a tin
  4. snap — to click
  5. court — of law
  6. court — for sport
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wound — an injury
  11. deal — to handle
  12. court — of a king
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. march — the month
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. march — the month
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. can — a tin
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. can — to be able to
  21. march — music
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a tree

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