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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. court — of law
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bound — obliged
  6. board — a committee
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. court — of a king
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bound — certain
  15. branch — a division
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bound — tied together
  18. court — for sport
  19. board — to get on
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mate — to breed
  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