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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. court — for sport
  7. cap — of ice
  8. court — of law
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. branch — a division
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pop — soda
  13. hand — in cards
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cap — a hat
  18. game — wild animals
  19. court — of a king
  20. pop — music
  21. ball — a great time
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. game — a match

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