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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. row — to paddle
  7. track — to keep track
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. track — a song
  12. court — of law
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. branch — a division
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mark — a trace
  18. date — the fruit
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mark — a grade
  21. track — a path
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. row — a line

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