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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. file — a tool
  3. court — of a king
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. court — for sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. court — of law
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. nail — on a finger

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